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IJmberSitp  of  J^ortf)  Carolina 


Cnbotoeb  bj>  ®talecttc 

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Philanthropic  Societies 


POTATO 

PRODUCTION 

IN  THE 

SOUTH 


THE  IMPORTANCE  of  the  potato  crop  in  the  South  is  due 
to  its  market  value  rather  than  its  magnitude,  for  owing  to 
the  season  of  the  year  in  which  it  is  harvested  it  usually  commands 
a  better  price  per  bushel  than  the  late  crop  in  the  North. 

The  wide  divergence  of  seasonal  conditions  in  the  South,  coupled 
with  a  long  growing  season,  makes  it  possible  to  plant  and  harvest 
potatoes  in  some  locality  in  practically  every  month  of  the  year. 

Owing  to  varying  climatic  conditions,  due  to  both  altitude  and 
latitude,  there  are  three  distinct  potato-crop  seasons  in  the 
Southern  States.  These  are  the  early  or  truck  crop,  the  late  or 
main  crop,  and  the  fall  crop,  which  last  may  be  divided  into  a 
second  crop  and  a  fall  crop  proper. 

The  early  or  truck  crop  is  largely  confined  to  well-defined  pro¬ 
duction  centers. 

Because  practically  all  the  early  crop  is  marketed  direct  from 
the  field  when  it  is  in  a  more  or  less  immature  condition,  the  ques¬ 
tion  of  packages  and  of  shipping  facilities  is  important. 

The  leading  varieties  used  for  early-crop  production  are  the 
Irish  Cobbler,  Triumph,  and  Spaulding  No.  4;  those  for  the  late 
or  main  crop,  the  Green  Mountain,  Gold  Coin,  Rural  New  Yorker 
No.  2,  Carman  No.  3,  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  White  Star,  and  Early 
Ohio;  and  for  a  fall  crop,  usually  for  table  use,  the  McCormick, 
White  McCormick,  Jersey  Red,  Green  Mountain,  Rural  New 
Yorker  No.  2,  Russet  Rural,  White  Star,  and  Peerless. 


Washington,  D.  C  .  Issued  June,  1921;  revised  January,  1923 


2 


POTATO  PRODUCTION  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

William  Stuart,  Horticulturist ,  Office  of  Horticultural  and  Homological  Investigations , 

Bureau  of  Plant  Industry. 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 


Comparative  cultural  practices .  3 

Extent  and  importance  of  the  potato  crop. . .  3 

Potato  production  in  the  Southern  States. ...  4 

Seasonal  crop  divisions .  5 

The  early  or  truck  crop .  5 


The  late  or  main  crop . . 

The  fall  crops . 

Marketing  the  fall  crops 

Storage . 

Summary . 


Page. 

26 

29 

37 

37 

38 


COMPARATIVE  CULTURAL  PRACTICES. 

THE  CULTURAL  OPERATIONS  involved  in  the  production  of 
potatoes  in  the  South  and  the  marketing  of  the  crop  of  the 
region  are  in  many  respects  radically  different  from  those  of  the 
North.  The  chief  points  of  difference  are  the  use  of  northern-grown 
instead  of  locally  grown  seed ;  the  growing  of  a  very  early  and  a  very 
late  crop;  the  production  of  a  second  crop;  radically  different  prac¬ 
tices  in  the  preparation  of  the  land,  in  the  application  of  commercial 
fertilizers,  and  in  the  cultivation  and  harvesting  of  the  crop;  different 
containers  for  marketing  the  crop;  and  the  general  practice  of  dis¬ 
posing  of  the  entire  crop  as  harvested. 


EXTENT  AND  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  POTATO  CROP. 


The  extent  of  any  given  crop,  either  in  acreage  or  bushels,  is  not 
necessarily  a  true  criterion  of  its  agricultural  importance.  A  com¬ 
parison  of  the  total  production  serves  by  contrast  to  emphasize  the 
great  commercial  importance  of  the  potato  crop  in  the  northern 
region  as  compared  with  that  of  the  far  West  or  the  South.  Ihc 
accompanying  figures  represent  the  average  production  for  the 
5-year  period,  1916  to  1920,  inclusive. 

Southern  States  (listed  in  Table  I),  58,954,800  bushels,  or  15.78  per  cent 
of  the  total. 

Far  Western  States  (New  Mexico,  Colorado,  Wyoming,  Montana,  and 
States  west  to  the  Pacific),  57,301,600  bushels,  nr  15.35  per  cent  ot  the 


Northern  States  (remaining  States),  257,151,400  bushels,  or  68.87  per 
cent  of  the  total. 

It  is  evident  from  these  data  that  the  southern  crop,  when  viewed 

quantitatively,  is  not  of  great  comparative  importance  as  a  source 

of  food;  but  the  larger  part  of  the  southern  crop  is  marketed  at  a 

season  of  the  year  when  the  consuming  public  is  eagei  hu  a 

3 


ol$o+* 


4 


banners'  Bulletin  11 

vegetables  and  is  willing  to  pay  a  premium  for  them.  For  this 
reason,  the  early-crop  potatoes  from  the  South  sell  at  a  much  higher 
price  as  a  rule  than  the  old  potatoes  competing  with  them  in  the 
market.  The  total  value  of  the  southern  crop,  therefore,  is  much 
greater  than  its  bulk  would  indicate. 

POTATO  PRODUCTION  IN  THE  SOUTHERN  STATES. 

Table  I  shows  the  annual  production  and  value  of  the  potato  crop  of 
the  South  by  States  for  the  5-year  period  from  1916  to  1920,  inclusive. 
The  reason  for  presenting  the  figures  for  each  year  rather  than  the 
average  annual  production  of  these  several  States  is  to  bring  out  the 
marked  increase  in  production  in  1917,  following  the  short  crop  and 
consequent  high  prices  which  prevailed  for  late  potatoes  in  the 
autumn  and  winter  of  1916  and  the  spring  of  1917. 

The  State  of  Virginia  shows  the  greatest  increase.  The  production 
of  potatoes  in  Virginia  in  1914  was  7,280,000  bushels,  but  in  1917  it 
was  estimated  at  19,800,000  bushels,  an  increase  of  approximately 
172  per  cent.  Other  States  show  a  larger  percentage  of  increase, 
but  not  so  great  an  aggregate  quantity. 

This  emphasizes  one  of  the  great  possibilities  of  the  southern 
potato-production  territory  in  connection  with  the  food  supply  of 
the  Nation.  When  there  is  a  definite  shortage  of  potatoes  at  the 
close  of  the  storage  season  in  the  North  in  any  particular  year,  it 
is  perfectly  feasible,  as  was  demonstrated  in  1917,  to  increase  the 
acreage  of  the  southern  crop  to  such  an  extent  as  to  make  good  in 
large  measure  any  shortage  in  the  total  production  which  may  be 
required. 

Table  I. — Total  production  and  farm  value  of  potatoes  in  bulk  in  the  Southern  States 
on  December  1  of  each  year  for  the  5-year  period  from  1916  to  1920 ,  inclusive. 

[The  quantitative  data  shown  represent  thousands  of  bushels  and  the  values  thousands  of  dollars.] 


1916 

1917 

1918 

1919 

1920 

State. 

Bush¬ 

els. 

Value. 

Bush¬ 

els. 

Value. 

Bush¬ 

els. 

Value. 

Bush¬ 

els. 

Value. 

Bush¬ 

els. 

Value. 

Alabama . 

1,800 

$3,042 

3,088 

2,952 

$5,373 

5,778 

4,800 

$8,688 

4,416 

2,000 

$4,300 

5,387 

1,809 

$3,618 

4,232 

Arkansas . 

1,625 

3 '689 

2,400 

2, 628 

2, 418 

Delaware . 

'900 

1, 125 

1,235 

1,606 

l'  044 

1,462 

913 

l'  141 

1,060 

1  060 

Florida . 

1,332 

900 

2 '664 

2,275 

4,  664 

3, 500 

7' 000 

1,368 

2,873 

2,415 

4  830 

Georgia . 

1,575 

L  596 
6,720 

3'  112 

l'  610 

2,978 

9,281 

l'  190 

2,582 

8,820 

1 ' 628 

3' 386 
8,464 

Kentucky . 

4,116 

5,845 

2,714 

9',  408 
2,944 

5,625 

4' 200 

5,643 

Louisiana . 

l'  625 
4,085 

l'  600 

4,345 

6' 51 8 

l'  600 

3,520 

1 , 755 
5,508 

Maryland . 

5' 433 

6' 000 

7'  140 

4,240 

5,' 088 

4, 700 

6' 110 
2,830 

5  233 

Mississippi . 

780 

l'  248 

1,170 

4  500 

1966 

l'eoo 

2' 640 

1,530 

1,392 

2' 784 
5,944 
4,662 
5  040 

North  Carolina . 

3,800 

5,320 

6,435 

6, 175 

8^336 

3,315 

3'  760 

6,129 
5, 689 

4,186 

2,590 

Oklahoma . 

l'  802 

3,' 514 

2,484 

4,471 

1,700 

2' 775 

South  Carolina . 

750 

1 ' 312 

l'  920 

4,032 

2,  856 

5,512 

l'  700 

3,400 

2,800 

Tennessee . 

2,952 

4' 398 

4  888 

6,159 

5  796 

3,500 

5,775 

2  345 

4'033 

2  905 

4,648 

4,118 

17,556 

7,614 

Texas . 

2' 000 

3,800 

2' 760 

3  300 

6  600 

2,920 

6,132 

1  872 

Virginia . 

16'  900 

23  153 

17  325 

21,656 

8,349 

12' 690 
4,785 

15'  228 
7, 656 

13' 794 
4,050 

21 '657 
7,088 

18, 480 
5,  640 

West  Virginia . 

4,224 

6,674 

6'  325 

Total . 

49, 591 

74, 905 

67, 439 

98, 889 

64, 170 

100,493 

51,473 

91,691 

62, 101 

86,752 

Potato  Production  in  the  South.  5 

SEASONAL  CROP  DIVISIONS. 

Potato  production  in  the  South  has  been  discussed  heretofore 
chiefly  with  reference  to  the  early  or  truck  crop.  This  has  followed 
from  the  fact  that  in  most  of  the  Southern  States  the  early  crop  is 
of  greatest  commercial  importance.  In  this  bulletin  it  is  proposed 
to  consider  potato  production  under  the  three  seasonal  divisions : 
(1)  The  early  or  truck  crop,  (2)  the  late  or  main  crop,  and  (3)  the 
fall  crops. 

THE  EARLY  OR  TRUCK  CROP. 

The  best  available  data  upon  the  early  crop  are  those  published 
in  the  May,  1918,  issue  of  the  Monthly  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  Crop 
Estimates,  in  which  the  disposal  of  the  crop  is  given  by  months. 
The  figures  presented  in  Table  II  are  based  on  this  report.  Per¬ 
centages  were  obtained  by  assuming  that  the  early  crop  was  all 
marketed  before  August  31,  and  that  the  remainder  of  the 
potato  crop  represented  either  the  main  crop  or  the  fall  crop.  While 
the  time  division  is  necessarily  an  arbitrary  one,  it  is  believed  that 
it  embraces  the  normal  marketing  period  of  the  early  crop.  The 
statistics  show,  as  might  be  expected,  that  the  States  of  the  extreme 
South  produce  a  much  larger  percentage  of  early  than  of  late  potatoes, 
while  those  on  the  northern  edge  of  the  southern  region  produce  a 
smaller  percentage. 


Table  II. — Early  'potatoes  produced  in  the  Southern  States  and  marketed  during  the 

season  of  1917 . 

I  The  marketing  season  in  the  different  States  is  assumed  to  begin  with  the  month  mentioned  and  to  end 

on  August  31.] 


State. 

Marketing 
begun — 

Percent¬ 
age  of 
entire 
crop. 

State. 

Marketing 
begun — 

. 

Percent¬ 
age  of 
entire 
crop. 

April . 

Mav _ 

86 

Mississippi . 

April . 

85 

53 

North  Carolina . 

May . 

48 

Jyine 

31 

Oklahoma . 

71 

ueiawdre. . . 

February . 

Mav.. . 

93 

South  Carolina . 

April . 

86 

63 

Tennessee . 

May . 

35 

.Trine  . .  . 

20 

Texas . 

April . 

78 

JvenuicKy . 

April . 

Til  nft  ...  . 

91 

Virginia . 

May . 

43 

27 

West  Virginia . 

Tune . 

19 

jviaiyidiiu . 

— 

Early  or  truck  crop  production  is  very  largely  confined  to  certain 
definite  areas,  such  as  the  Hastings  district  in  Florida;  the  Savannah 
district  in  Georgia;  the  Beaufort  and  Charleston  districts  in  South 
Carolina;  Beaufort  County,  N.  C.;  the  Norfolk  district  and  the 
Eastern  Shore  of  Virginia;  the  Eastern  Shore  of  Maryland;  the  dis¬ 
tricts  centering  around  Louisville,  Ky.,  Columbia,  Tenn.,  hort 
Gibson,  Okla.,  and  Fort  Smith,  Ark.;  the  Eagle  Lake,  YV  barton,  and 
Brownsville  districts  in  Texas;  the  Alexandria  and  Bayou  Lafourche 


6 


Farmers 9  Bulletin  1205. 


districts  in  Louisiana;  and  the  Mobile,  Ala.,  district.  Many  other 
sections  might  be  mentioned,  such  as  Kissimmee,  Plant  City,  Arcadia, 
Moore  Haven,  Okeechobee,  Miami,  and  Dupont  in  Florida. 

SOIL. 

Generally  speaking,  the  soils  of  the  sections  where  the  early  potato 
crop  is  grown  are  light  sandy  loams.  Such  soils  warm  up  early,  are 
easily  prepared,  and  usually  are  well  drained. 

CROP  ROTATION. 

No  definite  crop-rotation  system  is  practiced  in  any  of  the  leading 
commercial  potato-producing  centers  in  the  South.  In  the  Hastings 
district  in  Florida  it  seems  to  be  the  rule  rather  than  the  exception 
to  grow  potatoes  year  after  year  upon  the  same  land.  Under  such 
conditions  the  only  rotation  is  that  of  following  the  early  crop  of 
potatoes  with  some  other  crop,  such  as  corn,  cowpeas,  velvet  beans, 
beggarweed,  sugar  cane,  cotton,  or  hay.  The  corn  and  the  sugar  cane 
are  frequently  planted  before  the  potato  crop  is  harvested.  Cowpeas 
are  often  sown  in  the  corn  when  it  is  given  its  last  cultivation.  When 
the  corn  stover  and  the  cowpeas  are  cut  and  properly  cured  they  fur¬ 
nish  an  excellent  feed  for  live  stock  during  the  winter.  F arther  north, 
where  the  potatoes  are  harvested  at  a  later  date,  a  longer  rotation  is 
generally  practiced;  onions,  cabbage,  spinach,  kale,  strawberries,  or 
other  crops  may  be  grown,  either  as  an  intercrop  or  alternately  with 
potatoes. 

As  a  rule,  the  potato  industry  of  the  South  could  be  materially 
improved  by  adopting  a  system  of  crop  rotation  which  would  insure 
the  addition  to  the  soil  of  a  larger  amount  of  organic  matter. 

PREPARATION  OF  THE  SOIL. 

One  of  the  most  prevalent  mistakes  made  in  the  production  of  early- 
crop  potatoes  in  the  South  is  plowing  the  land  too  shallow.  WTerever 
the  surface  soil  will  permit,  it  should  be  plowed  to  a  depth  of  from 
8  to  10  inches.  The  depth,  however,  must  be  governed  by  that  of  the 
surface  soil.  If  the  surface  soil  is  only  5  inches,  plow  6  inches  deep. 
Never  turn  up  more  than  an  inch  of  subsoil  at  any  one  time.  The 
plowing  should  be  done  sufficiently  long  in  advance  of  the  planting 
date  to  permit  partial  decomposition  of  the  vegetable  matter,  such 
as  corn  stover,  cowpeas,  or  other  preceding  crops  which  have  been 
turned  under.  In  Florida  the  land  for  the  early  crop  is  usually  plowed 
in  the  latter  part  of  November  or  in  early  December.  The  usual  way 
is  to  plow  it  into  rather  narrow  ridges  or  beds.  This  insures  better 
drainage  and  consequently  permits  an  earlier  preparation  of  the  land. 
Such  a  treatment  of  the  soil  gives  more  favorable  conditions  for  the 
decomposition  of  the  corn  stover,  cowpeas,  or  other  coarse  vegetable 
matter  turned  under. 


t'ocaco  t  roduction  in 


» outh . 


fitfedf< ZdZTi0I< t0  ,plrtmg  the  Cr0p  the  land  ^ould  be  thoroughly 

nttecl  by  the  use  of  a  disk  or  a  cutaway  harrow  nftpr  •+.  &  i  ^ 

fiued  with  a  smoothing  harrow,  followed  by  a  plank  drag  if  the^oil  is 

"t  v.rrVA*^ 

mth  coarse  nndecayed  org.nic  mailer  as  a  rule”3l  not  produffm 


COMMERCIAL  FERTILIZERS. 


nrTl^e  customary  method  of  applying  commercial  fertilizer  is  to 
open  a  furrow,  a  week  or  10  days  before  planting,  with  a  middle 
buster  or  tuinplow  and  then  distribute  a  portion  of  the  fertilizer 
m  the  furrow  thus  made,  after  which  it  is  thoroughly  mixed  with 
the  soil  usually  with,  a  1 -horse  spike-tooth  cultivator.  '  A  second 
application  is  made  just  prior  to  dropping  the  seed.  The  com- 
mercial  fertilizer  is  applied  early,  with  the  idea  that  during  the  interim 
between  its  application  and  the  planting  of  the  crop  some  of  the 
plant  food  will  have  become  diffused  through  the  soil  and  thus  be 
immediately  available  to  the  plants  as  soon  as  they  have  reached  a 
point  of  growth  at  which  they  can  use  it. 

The  fertilizer  when  so  applied  is  usually  distributed  by  a  1-horse 
or  2-horse  fertilizer  distributor,  which  sows  it  in  three  furrows  at 
once.  However,  the  use  of  the  2-horse  potato  planter  with  a  fer¬ 
tilizer-distributing  attachment  is  gradually  supplanting  the  older 
method  of  applying  commercial  fertilizers. 


GRADE  OF  FERTILIZER. 

As  a  rule,  a  high-grade  commercial  fertilizer  is  used,  the  object  of 
the  grower  being  to  force  the  crop  to  maturity  as  rapidly  as  possible. 
A  fertilizer  that  has  found  much  favor  in  the  Virginia  trucking  sections 
is  one  that  contains  7  per  cent  of  ammonia,1  6  per  cent  of  phosphoric 
acid,  and  5  per  cent  of  potash.  The  high  percentage  of  ammonia 
stimulates  a  quick  and  strong  growth  of  stem  and  leaf,  thus  giving 
the  plant  an  early  start. 

Another  favorite  fertilizer  contains  5  per  cent  of  ammonia,  8  per 
cent  of  phosphoric  acid,  and  5  per  cent  of  potash. 

The  nitrogen  or  ammonia  content  of  both  of  these  brands  of  fer¬ 
tilizer  should  be  derived  in  part  from  salts,  such  as  nitrate  of  soda 
or  sulphate  of  ammonia,  in  which  it  is  immediately  available,  and  in 
part  from  the  slower  organic  sources  of  nitrogen,  such  as  cottonseed 
meal,  fish  scrap,  and  dried  blood.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  the 
nitrogen  from  the  nitrate  of  soda  or  sulphate  of  ammonia  is  used 


1  All  commercial  fertilizer  manufacturers  use  the  term  ammonia  rather  than  nitrogen  in  their  guaranteed 
analyses.  Thus,  a  7-6-5  fertilizer  has  only  5.76  per  cent  of  nitrogen.  A  unit  of  ammonia  equals  0.823 

of  a  unit  of  nitrogen. 


8 


runners  buiieun  izm. 


by  the  plant  in  the  early  stages  of  its  growth,  while  that  from  the 
organic  sources,  being  more  slowly  available,  supplies  the  needs  of 
the  plant  in  the  later  stages  of  its  development. 

Standard  fertilizers  containing  the  percentages  of  ammonia,  phos¬ 
phoric  acid,  and  potash  shown  in  Table  III  have  been  recommended 
for  the  early  and  late  crops  of  jDotatoes  grown  on  sandy,  loam,  and 
clay  soils. 

Table  III. — Fertilizer  formulas  for  growing  potatoes  on  different  soils. 1 


Crop. 

Sandy  soil. 

Loam  soil. 

Clay  soil. 

Early  potatoes . 

7-  6-5 
2-16-6 

5—  8-o 
2-10-6 

4-S-4 

Late  potatoes. .  .  .  . . 

1  The  figures  given  show  the  percentages  of  ammonia,  phosphoric  acid,  and  potash,  respectively. 


AMOUNT  OF  FERTILIZER  TO  APPLY. 

In  the  Atlantic  Seaboard  States,  or,  as  the  area  is  more  familiarly 
known,  the  Coastal  Plain  section  of  the  South,  it  is  customary  to 
apply  from  1,800  to  2,000  pounds  of  high-grade  fertilizer  per  acre. 
Occasionally  a  grower  uses  2,500  pounds. 

In  the  other  States,  with  the  possible  exception  of  the  Louisville 
district  in  Kentucky,  very  much  smaller  quantities  of  fertilizers  are 
used;  in  fact,  in  some  sections,  as  in  Texas,  little,  if  any,  fertilizer  is 
applied  to  the  crop.  It  is  probable  that  a  judicious  use  of  commercial 
fertilizers,  coupled  with  a  rational  system  of  crop  rotation,  would  prove 
a  profitable  investment  for  growers  who  are  not  now  using  fertilizers. 

It  should  not  be  forgotten,  however,  that  maximum  results  from 
the  use  of  commercial  fertilizers  can  only  be  secured  on  land  reason¬ 
ably  well  filled  with  decaying  vegetable  matter.  As  a  rule,  too  little 
attention  has  been  given  to  this  matter  by  the  potato  grower.  The 
turning  under  of  a  crop  of  crimson  clover,  cowpeas,  beggarweed,  or 
other  leguminous  crop  is  a  valuable  aid  to  the  production  of  a  maxi¬ 
mum  crop  of  potatoes.  Cornstalks,  hay,  and  cowpea  or  soy-bean 
stubble  help  to  furnish  organic  matter,  but  do  not  provide  as  much 
fertility  as  when  the  whole  crop  is  turned  under.  The  presence  of 
this  organic  matter  makes  the  soil  more  retentive  of  moisture, 
prevents  its  running  together  or  washing  in  heavy  rains,  renders  it 
easier  to  cultivate,  and  by  gradual  decomposition  furnishes  consider¬ 
able  plant  food  to  the  growing  crop.  The  increased  moisture  serves 
to  dissolve  the  plant  food  in  the  commercial  fertilizer  and  to  render 
it  available  to  the  plant. 

A  still  further  advantage  derived  from  the  turning  under  of  clovers 
or  other  leguminous  or  even  nonleguminous  crops  is  that  the  quantity 
of  commercial  fertilizer  may  be  appreciably  reduced.  Applications 
of  1,200  to  1,500  pounds  per  acre  will  be  found  to  be  quite  as  effective 
on  soils  well  supplied  with  organic  matter  as  1,800  to  2,500  pounds  on 
those  that  have  little  or  no  organic  matter  in  them. 


arr- 


tJMato  Production  in  We  South. 


BARNYARD  MANURES. 

Where  farm  manure  is  available,  it  is  recommended  that  it  be 
applied  at  the  rate  of  10  to  12  tons  per  acre.  In  most  cases  it  is 
desirable  to  broadcast  the  manure  on  the  land  previous  to  plowing  it. 
If  this  is  not  feasible  or  if  there  is  danger  of  its  leaching  away  when 
the  land  is  fall  plowed,  it  may  be  applied  before  fitting  the  land 
for  planting  and  thoroughly  disked  into  the  soil.  Such  an  application 
of  manure  should  be  supplemented  by  800  to  1,000  pounds  of  2-8-2 
fertilizer2  applied  in  the  row  at  the  time  of  planting.  Barnyard 
manure,  in  itself,  is  not  a  well-balanced  plant  food,  being  too  rich 
in  nitrogen  for  its  phosphorus  content  and  inducing  a  rank  vine 
growth  at  the  expense  of  tuber  development. 

The  combination  of  these  two  applications  gives  the  desired  fer¬ 
tility  in  approximately  the  proper  ratio  and  at  the  same  time  supplies 
the  necessary  organic  matter.  Farm  manures  should  not  be  applied 
to  land  known  to  be  infected  with  the  organism  causing  the  common 
scab  of  the  tubers,  at  least  not  to  the  potato  crop,  as  it  has  a  decided 
tendency  to  increase  the  percentage  of  scab-infected  tubers. 

EARLY  VARIETIES. 


The  varieties  usually  grown  in  the  Southern  States  for  the  early 
market  are  the  Irish  Cobbler  (fig.  1),  Triumph  (fig.  2),  and  Spaulding 
No.  4  (fig.  '3) ,  also 
known  as  Spauld¬ 
ing’s  Rose  or  Rose 
No.  4.  The  relative 
commercial  impor¬ 
tance  of  these  three 
varieties  is  in  the  or¬ 
der  in  which  they 
are  mentioned. 

The  Irish  Cobbler 
is  almost  exclusively 
grown  in  the  Coastal 
Plain  States,  extend¬ 
ing  from  Delaware  to 
Georgia.  It  is  also 
grown  in  the  Louis- 
ville  district  of  Ken¬ 
tucky,  and  m  some  Fig  l_a  good  type  of  potato  of  the  Irish  Cobbler  variety, 

sections  of  Alabama.  .  . 

The  Triumph  is  grown  m  southern  Florida,  Alabama,  Mississippi, 

Louisiana,  Texas,  Oklahoma,  Arkansas,  and  Tennessee. _ _ 

2  A  brief  way  of  stating  the  percentage  of  ammonia,  phosphoric  acid,  and  potash,  respectively,  contained 

in  a  commercial  fertilizer. 

17646°— 23— Bull.  1205 - 2 


10 


tarmers  tsuiieim  izud 


The  Spaulding  No.  4  is  grown  in  central  and  northeastern  Florida, 
particularly  in  the  Hastings  district.  In  southern  Louisiana,  in  the 
Bayou  Lafourche  district,  the  White  Star,  a  member  of  the  Burbank 
group,  is  quite  popular. 


PRODUCTION  OF  GOOD  SEED. 

During  recent  years  considerable  attention  has  been  given  to  the 
production  of  good  seed  potatoes,  and  the  indications  are  that  this 
subject  will  receive  still  greater  attention  in  the  future.  Good  seed 
may  be  defined  as  seed  that  is  true  to  name  and  type  of  the  variety 
and  free  from  injurious  diseases.  It  should  be  reasonably  uniform  in 


shape  and  size,  produced  by  strong-yielding  and  disease-free  plants, 
and  harvested  when  somewhat  immature.  Also  it  should  have  been 
grown  under  favorable  environmental  conditions. 

For  further  information  in  regard  to  good  seed,  see  Farmers’  Bulle¬ 
tin  533,  entitled “  Good  Seed  Potatoes  and  Howto  Produce  Them,”  and 
Circular  No.  5  of  the  Office  of  Cotton,  Truck,  and  Forage  Crop  Disease 
Investigations,  entitled  “Growing  High-Grade  Potato  Seed  Stock.” 


Fig.  2. — Typical  tubers  of  the  Triumph  variety. 


Fig.  3.— Typical  tubers  of  the  Spaulding  No.  4  variety  as  grown  at  Hastings,  Fla. 


11 


Potci t cTPro duction  Jn  th TSmittu 

CERTIFIED  SEED. 

An  attempt  is  now  being  made  to  produce  the  kind  of  seed  described 
by  inspection  of  the  growing  crop  once  or  twice,  preferably  twice 
during  the  growing  season,  for  the  purpose  of  noting  the  number  of 
varietal  mixtures  and  the  presence  or  absence  of  diseased  plants. 
If  the  percentage  of  mixtures  or  of  any  of  the  transmissible  diseases 
exceeds  a  certain  minimum  tolerance,  the  field  is  rejected.  All 
mixtures  or  diseased  plants  in  fields  thought  worthy  of  consideration 
by  the  inspector  are  supposed  to  be  removed  before  the  field  is 
harvested.  An  examination  of  the  harvested  tubers  in  the  bin 
completes  the  inspection,  and  if  the  stock  is  found  to  conform  to  the 
requirements  it  is  given  a  certificate.  All  certified  seed  stock  when 
put  up  for  shipment  is  tagged  with  certification  tags  issued  by  the 
State  inspector. 

Certified  seed  should  and  does  command  a  premium  over  unin¬ 
spected  seed  stock.  The  degree  of  its  superiority  is  largely  governed 
by  the  rigidity  of  the  inspection  service.  Careless  inspection  of  seed 
stock  or  the  granting  of  a  certificate  to  inferior  stock  restricts  rather 
than  increases  the  demand  for  good  seed. 

NORTHERN-GROWN  SEED. 

-  A  large  proportion  of  the  seed  stock  used  in  planting  the  early 
crop  in  the  South  is  purchased  from  growers  in  the  North.  Aroostook 
County,  Me.,  produces  a  large  proportion  of  the  Irish  Cobbler  and 
Spaulding  No.  4  and  a  small  part  of  the  Triumph  seed  stock  used  in 
planting  the  southern  crop.  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  and  northwestern 
Nebraska  supply  a  large  percentage  of  the  Triumph  seed  stock  and  a 
comparatively  small  part  of  that  of  the  Irish  Cobbler  and  Spaulding 
No.  4.  The  practice  of  using  northern-grown  seed  results  from  the  fact 
that  in  most  sections  of  the  South  it  is  not  possible  to  produce  seed 
stock  having  the  same  vigor  as  that  grown  in  the  North. 

HOME-GROWN  SEED. 

The  production  of  home-grown  seed  stock  in  the  South  is  only 
practiced  in  localities  where  it  is  possible  to  grow  second-crop  pota¬ 
toes,  as,  for  example,  in  the  Fort  Gibson  and  Fort  Smith  districts  in 
Oklahoma  and  Arkansas,  the  Louisville  district  in  Kentucky,  and 
the  Eastern  Shore  of  Virginia  and  Maryland.  In  Oklahoma  and 
Arkansas,  where  the  seed  from  the  first  crop  is  used  for  the  second 
crop,  planting  the  seed  stock  from  the  second  crop,  known  to  the 
trade  as  u junior  seed,'’  is  generally  regarded  by  the  growers  of  that 
region  as  superior  to  northern-grown  seed  stock  for  early-crop  plant¬ 
ing  the  following  season.  In  the  Louisville  and  the  Lastci  n  Shoit  <>t 
Virginia  and  Maryland  districts,  where  northern-grown  seed  of  the 
previous  season’s  growth  is  used  in  planting  the  second  eiop,  the  seed 
thus  produced  has  proved  as  satisfactory  as  northern-grown  seed  ioi 


12 


tanners  Bulletin  izuo. 


the  planting  of  a  portion,  at  least,  of  the  early  crop.  The  grow¬ 
ers  on  the  Eastern  Shore  of  Virginia  and  Maryland  are  now 
planting  from  50  to  60  per  cent  of  their  acreage  with  home-grown 
second-crop  seed.  That  home-grown  seed  does  not  entirely  supplant 
northern-grown  seed  in  the  sections  mentioned  is  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  northern-grown  seed  germinates  more  quickly  and  reaches 
market  maturity  from  a  week  to  10  days  earlier  than  that  which  is 
home  grown. 

It  is  desirable,  therefore,  to  plant  a  portion  of  the  acreage  with 
northern-grown  seed,  so  that  marketing  may  begin  a  little  earlier 
and  as  a  rule  secure  somewhat  better  returns.  This  early  acreage 
keeps  the  harvesting  crews  occupied  until  the  crop  from  the  slower 
developing  home-grown  seed  is  ready  to  be  marketed  and  prolongs 
the  marketing  period. 

METHOD  OF  PURCHASE  AND  SHIPMENT  OF  NORTHERN-GROWN  SEED. 

The  usual  practice  in  the  purchase  of  seed  stock  from  northern 
growers  is  to  buy  in  the  late  summer,  autumn,  or  early  winter.  The 
terms  of  purchase  are  generally  on  the  basis  of  delivery  a  few  weeks 
prior  to  the  planting  period.  The  northern  grower  stores  the  crop 
and  ships  during  the  winter.  Shipments  of  seed  stock  to  Florida 
must  go  forward  in  November  or  early  in  December. 

The  particular  feature  of  this  movement  of  northern-grown  seed 
stock  to  the  South  to  which  it  is  desired  to  call  special  attention  is  the 
risk  of  injury  to  the  seed  stock  from  being  frozen  or  chilled  in  transit 
or  of  portions  of  the  shipment  becoming  overheated  when  stoves  are 
used  for  heating  the  car.  Many  promising  lots  of  seed  stock  have 
been  seriously  injured  in  this  manner.  It  is  believed  that  it  would  be 
to  the  advantage  of  the  southern  grower  to  purchase  his  northern- 
grown  seed  stock  subject  to  fall  delivery  and  provide  on  his  own  farm 
or  in  a  community  storage  house  the  necessary  storage  facilities  to 
care  for  the  seed  until  it  is  required  for  use.  This  would  obviate  the 
risk  of  injury  in  transit,  insure  a  more  prompt  delivery,  and  save  the 
cost  of  storage  in  the  North.  The  price  for  fall  delivery  is  usually 
about  $1  a  barrel  less  than  that  demanded  by  northern  growers  for 
winter  delivery.  The  cost  of  providing  suitable  storage  could  there¬ 
fore  be  largely,  if  not  wholly,  met  by  the  saving  effected  in  purchasing 
for  fall  delivery.  If  the  present  inadequate  transportation  facilities 
continue,  another  important  reason  in  favor  of  fall  delivery  is  obvious. 

QUANTITY  OF  SEED  REQUIRED  PER  ACRE. 

The  quantity  of  seed  required  to  plant  an  acre  of  potatoes  is  very 
largely  governed  by  the  size  of  the  tubers  and  of  the  seed  pieces,  the 
variety,  and  to  a  much  larger  extent  by  the  spacing  of  the  rows  and 
of  the  plants  in  the  row.  Large  potatoes  do  not  cut  to  such  good 
advantage  as  medium-sized  tubers. 


mu 


Potato  Production  in  the  South 


The  average  quantity  of  seed  used  in  planting  an  acre  of  potatoes  in 
the  United  States  is  between  8  and  9  bushels,  or  480  to  540  pounds. 
In  all  probability  this  is  somewhat  in  excess  of  the  average  for  the 
Southern  States,  because  the  seed  stock  used  by  the  southern  grower 
represents  a  greater  cash  outlay  per  pound  than  that  used  by  the 
northern  grower,  hence,  economy  in  its  use  is  more  necessary  than  in 
the  North. 

A  more  liberal  use  of  seed  by  the  southern  grower  probably  would 
be  found  profitable,  in  normal  years  at  least.  All  record-making 
yields  either  in  this  country  or  in  foreign  lands  involve  the  use  of  an 
unusually  large  quantity  of  seed,  in  some  instances  approaching  100 
bushels  per  acre.  With  seed  stock  selling  at  a  reasonable  price,  the 
use  of  12  to  15  bushels  of  seed  per  acre  is  recommended. 

Table  IV  gives  the  quantity  of  seed  required  to  plant  an  acre  when 
cut  to  a  given  weight,  with  the  rows  and  hills  spaced  at  different 
distances  apart. 

Table  IV. — Quantity  of  potatoes  required  to  plant  an  acre  at  different  spadngs  with  seed 

pieces  of  various  sizes. 


Seed  required,  the  average  weight  of  seed  pieces  used  being  as  given. 


Spacing  of  rows  and  seed  pieces. 


Rows  30  inches  apart: 

8-inch  spacing . bushels. 

10-inch  spacing . do. . . 

12-inch  spacing . do. . . 

14-inch  spacing . do. . . 

16-inch  spacing . do. . . 

18-inch  spacing . do. . . 

24-inch  spacing . do. . . 

36-inch  spacing . do. . . 

Rows  32  inches  apart: 

8-inch  spacing . do. . . 

10-inch  spacing . do. . . 

12-inch  spacing . do. . . 

14-inch  spacing . do. . . 

16-inch  spacing . do. . . 

18-inch  spacing . do. . . 

24-inch  spacing . do. . . 

36-inch  spacing . do. . . 

Rows  34  inches  apart: 

8-inch  spacing . do. . . 

10-inch  spacing . do. . . 

12- inch  spacing . do. . . 

14-inch  spacing . do. . . 

16-inch  spacing . do. . . 

18-inch  spacing . do. . . 

24-inch  spacing . do. . . 

36-inch  spacing . do. . . 

Rows  36  inches  apart: 

8-inch  spacing . do. . . 

10-inch  spacing . do. . . 

12-inch  spacing . do. . . 

14-inch  spacing . do. . . 

16-inch  spacing . do. . . 

18-inch  spacing . do. . . 

24-inch  spacing . do. . . 

36-inch  spacing . do. . . 

Rows  42  inches  apart: 

18-inch  spacing . do. . . 

24-inch  spacing . do. . . 

30-inch  spacing . do. .. 

36-inch  spacing . do. . . 

Rows  48  inches  apart: 

18-inch  spacing . do. . . 

24-inch  spacing . do... 

30-inch  spacing . do. . . 

36-inch  spacing . -  -do. . . 


£  ounce. 

|  ounce. 

1  ounce. 

If  ounces. 

1£  ounces. 

If  ounces. 

2  ounces. 

13.6 

20.4 

27.2 

34.0 

40.8 

47.6 

54. 4 

10.9 

16.3 

21.8 

27.3 

32.6 

38.1 

43.6 

9.1 

13.6 

18.2 

22.7 

27.2 

31.8 

36,3 

7.8 

11.7 

15.6 

19.4 

23.3 

27.2 

31.1 

6.8 

10.2 

13.6 

17.0 

20.4 

23-8 

27.2 

6.0 

9.1 

12.1 

15. 1 

*  18.2 

21.2 

24.2 

4.5 

6.8 

9.1 

11.3 

13.6 

15.9 

18.2 

3.0 

4.5 

6.0 

7.5 

9.1 

10.6 

12.1 

12.8 

19.1 

25.  5 

31.9 

38.3 

44.7 

51.1 

10.2 

15.3 

20.4 

25.5 

30.6 

35.7 

40.8 

8.5 

12.8 

17.0 

21.3 

25.6 

29.8 

34.0 

7.3 

10.9 

14.6 

18.2 

21.9 

25.5 

29.2 

6.4 

9.6 

12.8 

16.0 

19.2 

22.4 

25.6 

5.7 

8.5 

11.3 

14.2 

17.0 

19.8 

22.7 

4.3 

6.4 

8.5 

10.6 

12.7 

14.9 

17.0 

2.8 

4.2 

5.7 

7:1 

8. 5 

9.9 

11.3 

12.0 

18.0 

24.0 

30.0 

36.0 

42.0 

48.0 

9.6 

14.  4 

19.2 

24.0 

28.8 

33.6 

38. 4 

8.0 

12.0 

16.0 

20.0 

24.0 

28.0 

32.0 

6.9 
6.  0 

10.3 

9.0 

13.7 

12.0 

17.1 

15.0 

20.6 

18.0 

24.0 

21.0 

27.4 

24.0 

5.3 

8.0 

10.7 

13.3 

16.0 

18.7 

21.4 

4  0 

6.  0 

8.0 

10.0 

12.0 

14.0 

16.0 

2.  5 

3.8 

5.0 

6.3 

7.6 

8.8 

10.1 

11  3 

17.0 

22.7 

28.4 

34.0 

39.7 

45. 4 

9  1 

13.6 

18.1 

22.7 

27.2 

31.  / 

36. 3 

7  6 

11.3 

15.1 

18.9 

22.7 

26.  5 

30.2 

6  5 

9.7 

13.0 

16.2 

19.4 

22.7 

25. 9 

5.7 
5.0 

3.8 
2.5 

8.5 

7. 6 

5.7 

3.8 

11.3 

10.1 

7.6 

5.0 

14.2 
12.6 
9.  5 
6.3 

17.0 

15.1 

11.3 

7.6 

19.8 

17.6 

13.2 

8.8 

22.  7 
20.2 

15.1 

10.1 

4.3 

3.2 
2.6 

2.2 

6.5 

4.9 

3.9 
3.2 

8. 6 
6.5 

5.2 

4.3 

10.8 
8.1 
6. 5 
5.4 

13.0 

9.7 

7.8 
6.5 

15.1 

11.3 

9.1 

7.6 

17.3 
13.0 

10.4 
8.6 

3.8 

2.8 
2.3 
1.9 

5.7 
4.2 
3.4 

2.8 

7.6 

5.7 
4.5 

3.8 

9.5 

7.1 

5.7 

4.7 

i 

11.3 
8.5 
6.  8 
5.7 

13.2 

9.9 

7.9 
6. 6 

15.1 

11.3 

9.1 

7.6 

14 


Farmers’  Bulletin  1205. 


TREATMENT  OF  SEED  FOR  SURFACE  DISEASES. 

Although  the  value  of  seed  treatment  has  been  repeatedly  demon¬ 
strated,  a  comparatively  small  percentage  of  the  seed  stock  planted 
in  the  South  is  disinfected.  The  object  of  seed  treatment  is  to 
destroy  the  organisms  causing  common  scab  and  the  resting  stage 
(sclerotia)  of  the  black-scurf  fungus,  scientifically  known  as  Rhizoc- 
tonia  solani.  The  disinfectant  used  also  destroys  the  surface  spores 
of  various  saprophytic  organisms  which  might  affect  the  health  and 
vigor  of  the  plants. 

In  treating  seed  potatoes,  the  grower  has  a  choice  of  two  disinfec¬ 
tants,  the  corrosive-sublimate  and  formalin  solutions.  They  are 
equally  effective  in  destroying  the  organism  of  the  common  scab. 
The  corrosive-sublimate  solution  is  so  much  more  effective  against 
the  black-scurf  infection  on  the  seed  tubers  to  be  treated  as  to  justify 
its  use. 

The  formulas  recommended  for  these  solutions  are  as  follows: 

Formalin  solution:  1  pint  of  formalin  to  30  gallons  of  water. 

Corrosive-sublimate  (bichlorid  of  mercury)  solution:  4  ounces  of  corrosive  subli¬ 
mate  dissolved  in  30  gallons  of  water.3 

PERIOD  OF  TREATMENT. 

The  length  of  treatment  should  be  varied  somewhat,  depending 
upon  the  condition  of  the  seed  stock  and  its  freedom  from  disease. 
Badly  germinated  seed  potatoes  should  not  be  immersed  in  the  solu¬ 
tion  for  more  than  one-half  to  three-quarters  of  an  hour.  Likewise, 
if  they  are  practically  free  from  scab  or  black  scurf  a  similar  period 
of  treatment  will  be  sufficient.  Tubers  that  are  dormant  or  that 
show  scab  or  black-scurf  infection  may  be  immersed  for  1  \  to  2  hours 
without  material  injury  to  their  germinating  powers. 

The  tubers  are  most  easily  handled  by  placing  them  in  a  burlap 
sack  or  by  putting  them  in  slat  crates  and  immersing  the  crates. 
They  should  be  spread  out  to  dry  immediately  on  removal  from  the 
solution. 

It  is  preferable  to  treat  all  seed  stock  before  cutting,  as  there  is 
less  likelihood  of  injuring  it  when  whole.  Treated  seed  should  be 
placed  only  in  containers  that  have  been  disinfected. 

Disinfection  of  the  seed  stock  is  not  necessarily  a  guarantee  of 
disease-free  progeny  unless  the  land  in  which  the  plants  are  grown 
is  free  from  infection.  Both  the  scab  and  black-scurf  organisms  are 
capable  of  living  in  the  soil  for  many  years  after  the  growth  of  a 
potato  crop. 

3  Corrosive  sublimate  dissolves  very  slowly  in  cold  water,  but  quickly  in  hot  water.  It  is  therefore 
recommended  that  it  be  dissolved  in  1  or  2  gallons  of  hot  water  and  then  diluted  to  30  gallons.  Metal  vessels 
should  not  be  used,  as  the  corrosive  sublimate  corrodes  them.  Corrosive  sublimate  is  a  deadly  poison  when 
taken  internally,  and  every  precaution  should  be  used  to  guard  against  persons  or  animals  drinking  it. 


potato  Production  in  We  Smith 


CUTTING  THE  SEED. 


In  preparing  seed  potatoes  it  is  very  desirable  to  cut  them  so 
as  to  give  blocky  rather  than  wedge-shaped  pieces  (fig.  4).  If 

seed  is  scarce  and  high  priced,  it  may  be  permissible  to  cut  to  single¬ 
eye  pieces,  provided  the  seed  bed  is  especially  well  prepared  andOie 
conditions  lor  germination  are  satisfactory.  It  should  be  remem- 
ered  that  the  smaller  the  size  of  the  seed  piece  the  more  necessary 

it  becomes  to  have  the  growing  conditions  as  favorable  as  it  is  humanly 
possible  to  make  them.  J 


If  the  land  is  poorly  prepared,  that  is,  lumpy  or  cloddy,  rathei 
than  well  pulverized,  or  if  it  is  lacking  in  moisture,  poorly  drained 
or  deficient  in  available  plant  food,  the  small-sized  seed  piece  will 
not  give  as  good  results  as  a  large  piece.  Ordinarily  the  seed  bed  is 


Fig.  4. — Potato  seed  cut  into  chunky  rather  than  thin  wedge-shaped  pieces. 


not  too  well  prepared;  hence,  there  are  many  skips  or  misses  in  the 
field  if  the  seed  is  cut  too  small.  It  is  believed  that  better  results 
will  be  obtained  by  the  use  of  seed  pieces  having  two  or  three  eyes, 
as  there  is  less  likelihood  of  failure  to  produce  reasonably  good  plants 
in  case  the  growing  conditions  are  unfavorable. 

There  are  many  mechanical  potato  cutters,  most  of  which  are 
operated  by  hand.  Although  such  machines  greatly  reduce  the 
labor  involved  in  cutting  potato  seed,  they  are  not  fully  satisfactory, 
since  their  use  results  in  many  pieces  having  no  eyes.  As  such 
pieces  can  not  germinate,  they  increase  the  number  of  missing  plants 
and  reduce  the  yield  proportionately. 

Varieties  containing  numerous  eyes  that  are  well  distinguished, 
such  as  the  Burbank,  Early  Rose,  and  Early  Ohio,  lend  themselves 
better  to  the  automatic  seed  cutter  than  the  Irish  Cobbler  or  Triumph. 
Wherever  possible,  it  is  desirable  to  cut  the  seed  potatoes  by  band. 


16 


rarmers  auueun  izuo. 


The  labor  of  hand  cutting  may  be  very  materially  reduced  by  con¬ 
structing  a  cutting  box  or  hopper  to  which  the  knife  used  is  rigidly 
fastened  in  an  upright  position  with  the  back  of  the  blade  toward 
the  operator  (fig.  5).  With  such  an  equipment  the  cutting  capacity 
of  an  individual  can  be  practically  doubled  and  at  the  same  time  the 
drudgery  of  the  work  materially  lessened. 

CARE  OF  THE  CUT  SEED  PRIOR  TO  PLANTING  IT. 

Many  poor  stands  in  commercial  potato  fields  are  due  to  the  im¬ 
proper  handling  of  the  freshly  cut  seed.  Most,  if  not  all,  such 


Fig.  5. — A  potato  seed-cutting  box  which  makes  it  possible  to  cut  a 
much  larger  quantity  in  a  day  and  with  a  less  expenditure  of  energy 
than  by  using  a  knife  in  the  hand. 


injury  is  caused  through  failure  on  the  part  of  the  grower  to  realize 
that  the  vitality  of  seed  stock  may  be  very  quickly  injured  through 
overheating  when  stored  in  bulk  or  by  an  hour  or  two  of  exposure 
to  sun  and  wind.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  seed  potato 
is  a  living  organism  involving  much  the  same  vital  processes  as  in 
animal  life. 

When  freshly  cut  seed  is  stored  in  bulk,  or  even  in  a  sack  or  barrel 
during  warm  weather,  a  considerable  degree  of  heat  is  generated, 
which  if  not  quickly  dissipated  soon  seriously  injures  the  vitality  of 
the  stock;  in  fact,  so  quickly  does  the  temperature  of  the  seed  stock 
reach  the  danger  point  that  the  injury  has  often  occurred  before  the 
grower  realized  it.  This  injury  in  its  milder  form  results  in  delayed 


rmmrrrmfiwiion  in  the  South 

germination  and  m  weak  plants,  and  in  its  severer  form  it  causes  the 
failure  of  many  of  the  seed  pieces  to  germinate.  When  the  seed  is 
p  anted  as  soon  as  cut  there  is  little  opportunity  for  such  injury 
unless  it  is  exposed  to  the  sun  tor  an  hour  or  more  before  bein'" 

planted  or  there  is  too  great  a  delay  in  covering  after  dropping  bv 

hand. 

The  proper  way  to  handle  cut  seed,  when  it  has  been  prepared  some 
time  in  advance  of  its  use,  is  to  spread  it  out  rather  thinly,  say  6  to  8 
inches  deep,  on  a  board  or  dirt  floor  in  a  shed  or  barn  and  turn  it 
over  once  or  twice  during  the  first  24  hours,  repeating  the  operation 
at  least  once  each  day  for  the  next  three  or  four  days,  or  until  the 
cut  surfaces  are  dry.  Then  it  may  be  crated,  sacked,  barreled,  or 
stored  in  bulk  until  required  for  use,  provided  it  is  kept  in  a  cool 
place.  Some  years  ago  the  writer  was  startled  to  learn  that  in  the 
Louisville  district  in  Kentucky  it  was  more  or  less  customary  for  the 
growers  to  cut  their  seed  potatoes  during  the  months  oi  December 
and  January,  when  other  farm  work  was  not  pressing.  Not  only 
v  as  the  seed  stock  cut  for  the  early  crop,  but  for  the  fall  or  second 
crop  as  well.  In  other  words,  seed  was  cut  in  December  and  Janu¬ 
ary,  some  of  which  was  intended  for  planting  the  following  July. 
The  cut  seed  in  this  case  was  properly  cured,  then  barreled,  and  on 
the  approach  of  warm  weather  was  placed  in  cold  storage. 

It  is  desirable  to  dust  freshly  cut  seed  with  land  plaster,  air-slaked 
lime,  ground  limestone,  or  flowers  of  sulphur  in  order  to  absorb  the 
moisture  of  the  freshly  cut  surfaces,  as  this  serves  to  prevent  heating 
if  the  seed  is  to  be  held  for  some  time;  or  if  the  seed  is  to  be  planted 
immediately  it  prevents  adhesion  of  the  seed  pieces  and  thereby 
makes  it  possible  for  the  automatic  machine  planter  to  do  a  more 
perfect  job. 

PLANTING  DATE. 

The  planting  dates  involved  in  the  production  of  early-crop  pota¬ 
toes  vary  from  the  latter  part  of  November  in  southern  Florida  to 
the  latter  part  of  April  in  West  Virginia.  The  approximate  date  of 
planting  in  each  of  the  16  States  under  consideration  is  given  in 
Table  V,  which  also  includes,  for  the  purpose  of  easy  reference  and 
comparison,  the  dates  of  planting  the  late  or  main  crop  and  the  fall 
crops  of  potatoes. 

As  a  rule,  the  sole  factor  in  determining  the  date  of  planting  the 
early  crop  of  potatoes  in  the  South  is  that  of  late  spring  irosts. 
The  grower  aims  to  plant  just  as  early  in  the  season  as  in  his  judg¬ 
ment  it  is  safe:  in  fact,  not  a  single  early  crop  of  potatoes  is  pro¬ 
duced  in  the  South  which  has  not  been  subject  to  some  risk  liom 
frost  injury  during  some  portion  of  the  growing  season. 


17646°— 23— Bull.  1205 - 3 


18 


Farmers’  Bulletin  1205. 


Table  V. — Approximate  dates  of  planting  the  early ,  late,  and  fall  crops  of  pototoes  in 

the  Southern  States.1 


State. 


Alabama . 

Arkansas . 

Delaware . 

Florida . 

Georgia . 

Kentucky . 

Louisiana . 

Maryland . 

Mississippi . 

North  Carolina 

Oklahoma . 

South  Carolina 

Tennessee . 

Texas . 

Virginia . 

West  Virginia. 


Date  of  planting. 

Early  crop. 

Late  or  main  crop. 

Fall  crops. 

Jan. 15  to  Feb. 15 . 

Aug.  15  to  Sept.  15. 
June  25  to  Aug.  15. 
June  25  to  July  20. 
Sept.  1  to  Oct.  1. 
Aug.  1  to  Sept.  1 . 
July  1  to  July  25. 
Aug.  15  to  Sept.  15. 
June  20  to  July  20. 
Aug.  15  to  Sept.  1. 
July  10  to  Aug.  10. 
June  15  to  July  10. 
July  15  to  Aug.  20. 
July  10  to  Aug.  1. 
July  1  to  Sept.  1. 
July  1  to  Aug.  10. 
June  25  to  July  10. 

Feb.  15  to  Mar.  30. 

Mar.  20  to  Apr.  30 . 

Nov.  20  to  Mar.  1 . 

Anr.  25  to  May  25 . 

Jan. 15  to  Feb.  15 . 

Mar.  1  to  Apr.  10 . 

Jan.  15  to  Mar.  10 . 

Apr.  25  to  May  25 . 

Apr.  15  to  May  20 . 

Mar.  1  to  Apr.  25 . 

Jan.  15  to  Feb.  25 . 

Apr.  25  to  June  5 . 

Feb.  15  to  Mar.  25 . 

Feb.  15  to  Mar.  30 . 

Apr.  25  to  May  30 . 

Feb.  1  to  Mar.  15 . 

.Mar.  1  to  Apr.  10 . 

Jan.  1  to  Mar.  15 . 

Feb.  15  to  Apr.  1 . 

Mar.  15  to  Apr.  30 . 

Apr.  20  to  May  25 . 

Apr.  15  to  May  20 . 

Apr.  1  to  May  15 . 

Apr.  20  to  May  25 . 

Apr.  25  to  May  30 . 

1  The  data  presented  are  based  in  part  upon  information  obtained  from  the  Bureau  of  Crop  Estimates 
of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  and  partly  on  the  writer’s  personal  knowledge  of  the  dates 
of  planting  in  many  of  the  States. 

PLANTING  METHODS. 


The  potato  crop  may  be  planted  either  by  hand  or  with  a  machine. 
When  planted  by  hand  the  usual  practice  is  to  drop  the  seed  pieces 
in  an  open  furrow,  after  which  they  are  covered  by  using  a  1 -horse 
or  2-horse  turnplow  to  throw  a  furrow  over  them  from  both  direc¬ 
tions.  When  a  machine  planter  is  used  the  furrow  is  opened  and 
the  seed  dropped  and  covered  by  the  machine  in  one  operation. 
If  the  planter  has  a  fertilizer-distributing  attachment ,  the  fertilizer 
may  be  applied  at  the  same  time. 

When  a  machine  planter  is  used,  an  extra  covering  of  soil  should 
be  given,  in  order  to  protect  the  seed  from  frost.  In  some  instances 
rather  heavy  losses  have  been  incurred  through  failure  on  the  part 
of  the  grower  to  appreciate  the  necessity  of  an  additional  layer  of 
soil.  The  soil  is  most  easily  applied  with  a  turnplow  or  a  disk 
horse  hoe. 

There  are  two  general  types,  known  as  the  1-man  and  the  2-man 
planters.  The  1-man  planter  distributes  the  seed  by  means  of 
pickers  or  forks  attached  to  a  vertical  revolving  disk  which  revolves 
through  the  cut  seed  chamber.  As  each  fork  passes  it  is  supposed 
to  transfix  a  seed  piece;  then,  as  it  passes  over  the  dropping  tube, 
the  seed  is  stripped  off  the  fork  and  dropped  into  the  tube.  When 
the  seed  is  properly  cut,  that  is,  in  blocky  rather  than  wedge-shaped 
pieces,  and  the  cut  seed  pieces  do  not  stick  together,  the  pickers 
seldom  fail  to  pick  up  a  seed  piece. 

Each  failure  of  one  of  the  pickers  to  impale  a  seed  piece  as  it 
revolves  through  the  seed  chamber  means  a  missing  plant  or  skip 
in  the  row,  or  if  it  picks  up  two  seed  pieces  it  means  two  plants 
where  only  one  is  intended.  Where  all  the  conditions  are  satis¬ 
factory  such  a  planter  will  give  an  almost  perfect  stand.  As  a 


Potato  Production  In  Ue^onlli. 


r\  -i 


19 


matter  of  fact,  however,  it  is  seldom  that  such  conditions  are  secured 
and  stands  of  80  to  90  per  cent  are  the  rule. 

The  2-man  planter  distributes  the  seed  pieces  by  an  altogether 
different  device.  .  They  are  removed  from  the  hopper  or  seed  chamber 
by  means  of  a  sprocket  wheel  revolving  at  an  angle  of  about  45°, 
which  drops  the  seed  pieces  on  a  revolving  horizontal  disk  with 
pockets.  A  single  seed  piece  is  supposed  to  fall  into  each  pocket, 
from  which  it  is  discharged  as  it  is  carried  over  the  dropping  tube 
It  so  happens,  however,  that  two  or  more  seed  pieces  are  occasion¬ 
ally  dropped  into  a  pocket  or  that  some  pocket  is  not  supplied  with 
a  seed  piece.  The  function  of  the  second  man,  who  sits  at  the  rear 
of  the  horizontal  disk,  is  to  correct  these  inaccuracies  by  removing 
all  extra  seed  pieces  and  supplying  missing  ones.  With  a  reliable  man 
to  correct  the  defects  of  the  machine  it  is  possible  to  secure  a  100 
per  cent  perfect  stand.  The  extra  cost  of  an  additional  man  on 
the  planter  is  much  more  than  repaid  by  the  increased  yield  result¬ 
ing  from  the  more  perfect  stand  of  plants. 

RATE  OF  PLANTING  OR  SPACING. 


Considerable  variation  in  row  spacing  may  be  noted  in  the  different 
commercial  potato-producing  areas  in  the  South,  particularly  where 
interplanting  occurs  or  where  the  crop  is  planted  on  raised  beds. 
The  spacing  between  rows  varies  from  30  to  42  inches,  and  where 
interplanting  occurs  the  space  may  be  as  much  as  60  inches.  Under 
normal  conditions  early  varieties  should  be  grown  in  rows  30  to  32 
inches  apart  and  the  plants  in  the  row  10  to  14  inches  apart,  depend¬ 
ing  on  the  natural  fertility  of  the  soil,  the  moisture  supply,  and 
more  especially  the  size  of  the  seed  pieces.  The  larger  the  size  of 
the  seed  pieces  used  the  greater  should  be  the  spacing  between  the 
plants.  The  aim  should  be  to  space  the  rows  and  plants  so  as  to 
secure  a  maximum  yield  of  merchantable  tubers  per  acre  and  at 
the  same  time  permit  horse  cultivation  between  the  rows. 

DEPTH  OF  PLANTING. 

The  early  crop  should  not  be  planted  as  deep  as  the  late  one.  On 
most  soils  a  depth  of  3  to  4  inches  is  sufficient.  Where  the  ridge 
system  of  cultivation  is  practiced,  as  in  the  case  of  the  irrigated 
areas  in  Florida,  the  seed  piece  is  not  planted  more  than  2  inches 
below  the  actual  ground  level.  Protection  against  late  winter  or 
spring  frosts  is  provided  by  throwing  a  heavy  ridge  of  soil  over  the 
seed  pieces.  The  seed  pieces  on  heavy  soils  should  be  planted 
shallower  than  on  light  soils. 

CULTIVATION. 

The  cultivation  of  the  crop  should  begin  shortly  after  it  is  planted. 
Every  effort  should  be  made  to  keep  the  surface  sod  loose,  and  the 
germinating  weed  seeds  should  be  destroyed  as  fast,  as  they  appear. 


The  weeder  or  a  spike-tootli  harrow,  so  constructed  that  the  teeth 
can  be  slanted  backward,  is  a  very  satisfactory  implement  to  use  in 
keeping  the  newly  planted  field  in  good  condition  until  after  the 
plants  are  well  above  the  surface.  When  the  plants  have  grown 
sufficiently  to  outline  the  rows  clearly,  the  first  deep  cultivation 
should  be  given.  The  2-horse  riding  cultivator  is  an  excellent  im¬ 
plement  to  use  after  the  plants  are  up  (fig.  6).  The  land  between 
the  rows  should  be  stirred  as  deeply  as  possible,  6  inches  or  more. 
Where  ridging  is  practiced,  the  newly  cultivated  soil  is  ridged  with 
a  1-row  or  2-row  wing  or  disk  horse  hoe,  which  draws  or  throws  the 
soil  around  or  over  the  plants. 

After  this  first  deep  cultivation  the  subsequent  workings  should 
be  shallower  and  shallower  and  farther  and  farther  away  from  the 


Fig.  6. — Giving  the  potato  crop  its  first  deep  cultivation. 

plants,  the  object  being  to  do  as  little  root  pruning  as  possible  and 
at  the  same  time  to  reduce  to  a  minimum  the  labor  with  the  hand 
hoe.  Cultivation  should  be  repeated  as  often  as  may  be  necessary 
to  keep  the  soil  open  and  free  from  weeds  until  the  plants  have 
reached  such  a  size  that  it  is  no  longer  possible  to  cultivate  them 
without  doing  more  harm  than  good  (fig.  7). 

SPRAYING. 

The  potato  crop  is  sprayed  for  two  reasons,  viz,  as  a  protection 
against  insect  enemies  and  as  a  preventive  of  fungous  diseases, 
which  frequently  destroy  the  plants.  . 

The  common  insect  pests  of  the  potato  in  the  South  are  the  Colo¬ 
rado  beetle  and  the  flea  beetle.  Occasionally  plant  lice  cause  con¬ 
siderable  injury,  but  as  a  rule  they  are  not  abundant.  All  leaf¬ 
eating  insect  enemies  of  the  potato  with  the  exception  of  the  flea 
beetle  are  readily  destroyed  by  spraying  the  foliage  with  some  form 


^  v  '•  *  *■  *  *  • 


zi 


of  arsenical  poison,  such  as  arsenate  of  lead,  arsonite  of  zinc  or 
Pans  green.  The  lead  arsenate  and  the  arsenite  of  zinc  are  pre- 
ferred  to  Pans  green  because  there  is  no  risk  of  burning  the  foW. 
When  Pans  green  is  used  in  a  liquid  form  a  small  quantity  of  lime 
say  2  pounds  to  50  gallons  of  the  liquid,  should  bo  added  in  order  to 

prevent  burning  the  foliage  with  the  free  arsenious  acid  which  it 
contains. 

The  flea  beetle  is  not  readily  controlled  by  arsenical  poisons;  there¬ 
fore  other  remedies  must  be  used,  and  among  these  is  Bordeaux 
mixture,  which  is  one  of  the  sprays  used  to  prevent  blight. 

In  spraying  for  plant  lice  it  is  necessary  to  use  a  contact  insecti¬ 
cide,  such  as  a  solution  of  nicotine  sulphate  or  kerosene  emulsion, 


Fig.  7. — A  potato  field  In  which  no  farther  cultivation  should  be  attempted,  because  cultivation  would 

do  more  harm  than  good. 


which  kills  by  contact  with  the  bodies  of  the  plant  lice,  because 
these  lice  are  sucking  rather  than  leaf-eating  insects. 

The  two  diseases  of  the  potato  plant  controllable  by  spraying 
with  fungicides  are  the  early-blight  and  the  late-blight.  Neither  of 
these  diseases  is  so  prevalent  in  the  regions  of  the  South  where  early- 
crop  potatoes  are  produced  as  in  those  sections  of  the  northeastern 
United  States  where  late-crop  potatoes  are  grown.  Consequently 
the  practice  of  spraying  as  a  protection  against  fungous  diseases  is 
not  very  general  in  the  South.  The  early-blight,  however,  is  of 
more  general  occurrence  than  the  late-blight,  and  is  not  so  easily 
controlled.  Late-blight  visitations  are  more  frequent  in  Florida, 
Virginia,  and  Maryland  than  in  the  other  States.  Bordeaux  mix¬ 
ture  is  the  best  preventive  of  these  two  blights.  Plants  well  sprayed 


with  this  mixture  are  not  so  seriously  injured  by  the  flea  beetle  as 
are  those  whose  foliage  is  not  thus  protected  (fig.  8) , 

Spray  formulas. — Four  insecticide  spray  formulas  are  suggested 
and  the  formula  for  Bordeaux  mixture  is  also  presented  below. 

1.  Arsenate  of  lead,  3  to  5  pounds;  water,  50  gallons. 

2.  Arsenite  of  zinc,  1^  to  2  pounds;  water,  50  gallons. 

3.  Paris  green,  12  ounces;  water,  50  gallons;  lime,  2  pounds. 

4.  Nicotine  sulphate,  one-half  to  three-fourths  of  a  pint;  water,  50  gallons; 

soap,  5  ounces. 

Bordeaux  mixture. — Copper  sulphate  (blue  vitriol),  5  pounds;  lime,  5  pounds; 
water,  50  gallons. 

The  presence  or  absence  of  insect  pests  determines  the  frequency 
of  spraying  with  insecticides,  and  the  climatic  conditions  and  locality 


Fig.  8.— Field  apparatus  for  filling  the  spray  tank,  which  makes  it  possible  to  spray  a  much  larger  area 

in  a  day  than  where  the  sprayer  is  taken  to  a  filling  station. 

are  the  factors  determining  the  desirability  of  spraying  the  plants 
with  Bordeaux  mixture  as  a  protection  against  early-blight  and  late- 
blight.4 

The  labor  involved  in  making  Bordeaux  mixture  and  the  time 
taken  in  filling  the  spray  tank  may  be  greatly  lessened  by  erecting 
an  elevated  spray-mixing  platform  (fig.  9). 

DATE  OF  HARVESTING  THE  CROP. 

The  early  potato  crop  is  usually  harvested  before  it  is  mature. 
The  desire  of  the  grower  to  obtain  the  higher  prices  which  are  usually 
paid  for  the  new  crop  serves  as  an  incentive  to  harvest  the  potatoes 
oftentimes  before  they  are  really  fit  for  shipment  and  certainly  before 
they  have  reached  maximum  size.  The  general  result  of  such  action 
is  to  prevent  a  normal  yield  of  the  crop,  and  it  very  often  brings 
unsatisfactory  returns  in  dollars  and  cents.  There  are,  however, 
seasons  in  which  the  market  price  falls  so  rapidly  after  the  shipments 

*  For  further  details  concerning  the  spraying  of  potatoes,  the  grower  should  consult  Farmers’  Bulletin  868, 
entitled,  “  How  to  Increase  the  Potato  Crop  by  Spraying,”  which  may  be  had  free  on  request  to  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture. 


become  heavy  that  the  grower  who  harvests  his  crop  early  actually 
receives  more  money  for  his  small  yield  than  would  have  been  obtained 

1pS-'r  °n'  Each  Srowel'  must  decide  for  himself 

whethei  he  is  justified  m  taking  the  smaller  yield  in  order  to  market 

Ins  crop  early  The  grower  in  southern  Florida  who  plants  his  early 

ci  op  in  the  latter  part  of  November  may,  under  favorable  conditions 

begin  to  dig  his  crop  in  the  latter  part  of  February,  but  aside  from 

very  small  commercial  areas  in  southern  Florida,  and  possibly  in  the 


Fig.  9. — Spray-mixing  platform  at  the  Virginia  Truck  Experiment  Station,  Norfolk,  Va.  The  solution 
of  copper  sulphate  and  lime  flows  directly  front  the  dilution  barrels  into  the  tank,  passing  through  a  brass- 
wire  strainer  on  its  way. 

Brownsville  district  in  Texas,  the  harvesting  of  the  early  crop  may 
be  said  to  begin  in  the  latter  part  of  March  and  continue  throughout 
the  spring  and  early  summer,  ending  in  the  northern  portion  of  the 
southern  group  of  States  in  August.  Approximate  dates  of  harvest¬ 
ing:  are  shown  in  Table  II. 

O 

METHOD  OF  HARVESTING  THE  CROP. 


The  early  potato  crop  is  harvested  in  various  ways.  Formerly 
much  of  the  early  crop  was  dug  with  a  1-horse  or  2-horse  turnplow 
(fig.  10),  after  which  the  potatoes  were  “grabbled ”  out  of  the  up- 


turned  furrow  by  the  pickers,  consisting  very  largely  of  women  and 
children,  and  thrown  into  small  piles  (fig.  11).  The  tubers  were 
then  graded  as  gathered,  and  barreled.  At  the  present  time  elevator 
diggers  have  very  largely  supplanted  the  old-time  method  (figs.  12 
and  13). 

Harvesting  operations  may  be  hastened  or  delayed  according  to 
the  prices  prevailing  during  or  preceding  the  usual  period  of  digging. 
For  example,  if  high  prices  prevail  when  the  crop  is  reaching  market¬ 
able  size  the  grower  may  be  tempted  to  dig  earlier  than  is  advisable, 
but  if  the  price  is  low,  digging  may  be  delayed  for  several  weeks  in  the 


Fig.  10.— Digging  potatoes  with  a  turnplow,  a  common  method  of  harvesting  the  crop  in  the  Southern 
States.  High-priced  labor  and  its  scarcity  are  compelling  the  grower  to  use  the  more  modern  diggers. 


expectation  of  receiving  a  better  price  or  with  the  certainty  of  a  larger 
yield  In  the  States  of  the  extreme  South  harvesting  can  not,  as  a 
rule,  be  delayed  beyond  a  few  weeks,  because  a  succession  of  crops 
has  either  been  planted,  after  the  last  cultivation  of  the  potatoes, 
or  else  is  to  be  planted  immediately  after  the  removal  of  the  standing 
crop  and  must  be  given  a  chance  to  occupy  the  ground.  In  the 
northern  tier  of  the  Southern  States  the  ensuing  crop  is  not  of  such 
vital  importance,  although  ordinarily  corn  or  some  other  crop  follows 
the  potato  crop. 

If  prices  are  high,  therefore,  the  harvesting  period  is  early  and  is 
quickly  over;  but  if  they  are  low  it  may  be  very  materially  delayed 
and  also  extended  over  a  considerable  period  of  time. 


Potato  Production  in  the  South. 


25 


PACKAGES. 


The  packages  or  containers  in  which  the  early  potato  crop  is 
shipped  to  market  vary  in  different  commercial  areas.  For  example 
in  the  southern  part  of  Florida  the  growers  ship  the  potatoes  in  ham¬ 
pers  containing  about  50  pounds.  In  the  Hastings  district  in  Florida 
the  crop  is  marketed  in  double-headed  stave  barrels  (fig.  14)  as  long 
as  the  supply  of  barrels  lasts.  When  that  supply  is  exhausted  the 
remainder  of  the  crop  is  marketed  in  150-pound  burlap  sacks.  Occa¬ 
sionally,  some  potatoes  are  shipped  in  hampers. 

The  Georgia  growers  ordinarily  ship  in  burlap-covered  stave  or  slat 
barrels  (figs.  15  and  16).  In  the  Beaufort  section  of  South  Carolina 
the  crop  is  largely 
shipped  in  specially 
constructed  slat  bar¬ 
rels  reinforced  with 
an  extra  set  of  hoops, 
placed  on  the  inside 
of  the  barrels  oppo¬ 
site  the  outer  ones. 

This  adds  very  con¬ 
siderably  to  the  rigid¬ 
ity  of  the  barrel.  The 
top  of  the  barrel  is 
covered  with  burlap. 

From  the  Beaufort 
area  north  to  Dela¬ 
ware  the  customary 
package  is  the  cloth- 
top  stave  or  slat  bar¬ 
rel.  In  Alabama, 

Mississippi,  Louisiana,  Texas,  Oklahoma,  and  Arkansas  the  usual  con¬ 
tainer  is  a  burlap  sack  holding  from  90  to  115  pounds.  In  the  Louis¬ 
ville  district  in  Kentucky  the  cloth-top  stave  barrel  is  generally  used. 


Fig.  11. — Grabbling  potatoes  after  digging  with  a  turnplow.  The 
pickers  separate  the  tubers  from  the  soil  in  the  upturned  furrow  and 
throw  them  into  piles,  ready  to  be  picked  up  and  placed  in  containers. 


GRADING  AND  PACKING. 

A  large  proportion  of  the  crop  is  graded  as  gathered  by  the  pickers. 
In  the  Hastings  district  in  Florida  machine  graders  or  sizers  are  used 
to  a  considerable  extent  (see  fig.  14).  The  potatoes  are  picked  up  in 
collapsible  slat  crates,  in  which  they  are  hauled  to  the  grading  ma¬ 
chine.  Texas  growers  size  most  of  their  crop  by  the  use  of  a  wire- 
mesh  hand  riddle,  which  is  supported  by  a  stand  so  constructed  that 
the  grade  1  tubers  on  the  riddle  are  dumped  into  a  chute  which 
discharges  them  into  a  sack  (fig.  17). 

The  double-headed  barrel  is  the  ideal  package  when  properly  filled 
and  headed.  The  cloth-top  stave  barrel  comes  next,  followed  by  the 


slat  barrel,  the  100-pound  sack,  the  150-pound  sack,  and  the  hamper. 
The  150-pound  and  the  180-pound  sacks  are  too  heavy  for  convenient 
handling.  The  hamper  does  not  ship  well,  because  it  is  lacking  in 
rigidity,  and  when  it  is  shipped  in  car  lots  the  lower  tier  of  packages 
is  likely  to  be  crushed. 

The  double-headed  stave  barrel  is  suitable  only  for  shipment  during 
reasonably  cool  weather  unless  it  is  well  ventilated.  Without  ventila¬ 
tion  the  contents  are  almost  certain  to  overheat  in  transit. 


MARKETING. 


Marketing  the  early  potato  crop  of  the  Southern  States,  partic¬ 
ularly  of  sections  south  of  the  Virginias,  offers  a  distinctly  different 

problem  from  that  of 
the  disposal  of  the  late 
crop  or  the  fall  crops, 
because  it  is  much 
more  perishable.  As 
a  rule,  the  potatoes 
are  gathered,  graded, 
packed,  and  hauled 
direct  from  the  field 
within  a  few  hours 
after  they  are  dug 
(figs.  18  and  19). 

In  some  of  the  large 
commercial  sections 
well-organized  prod¬ 
uce  exchanges  may  be 
found.  The  practice 
of  making  f.  o.b.  sales5 
by  both  the  individ¬ 
ual  growers  and  the  exchanges  is  becoming  general.  Shipments 
on  consignment  are  the  exception,  not  the  rule,  and  are  resorted 
to  only  when  the  movement  is  in  excess  of  the  inquiries  or  de¬ 
mands  of  the  buyers.  The  banding  together  of  the  growers  in 
an  organization  such  as  an  exchange  makes  possible  a  much  wider 
and  more  intelligent  distribution  of  their  crop  and  at  the  same  time 
avoids  to  a  large  extent  the  possibility  of  an  oversupply  being  shipped 
to  certain  markets,  with  a  resultant  glut  and  a  decline  in  price. 


Fig.  12. — A  field  of  potatoes  poorly  cared  for,  which  has  been  allowed 
to  become  oveugrown  with  grass  and  weeds.  The  elevator  digger, 
while  successfully  lifting  the  crop,  can  not  free  the  tubers  from  the 
weeds  and  soil. 


THE  LATE  OR  MAIN  CROP. 


The  production  of  late  or  main-crop  potatoes  in  the  South  is 
confined  very  largely  to  the  northern  tier  of  Southern  States  and  to 
the  more  elevated  sections  of  certain  of  the  others;  as,  for  example, 


5  Sales  at  prices  which  include  the  delivery  of  the  potatoes  on  board  the  cars  at  the  point  of  loading. 


Potato  Production  iii  the  South.  97 

the  mountainous  sections  of  northeastern  Georgia  and  the  south¬ 
western  and  western  sections  of  South  Carolina,  where  the  climatic 
conditions,  owing  to  altitude,  very  closely  approach  those  of  the  more 
northern  States.  Of  the  16  Southern  States,  10  are  included  in  this  list 
The  late  or  main  crop  of  potatoes  as  grown  in  the  South  corre¬ 
sponds  to  that  which  is  grown  in  the  North  and  the  far  West.  It 
consists  of  late  or  medium-late  maturing  varieties,  which  are  planted 
rather  late  in  the  spring,  being  intended  for  fall  and  winter  use. 

LATE  VARIETIES. 


The  varieties  most  commonly  grown  for  the  late  or  main  crop  are 
the  Green  Mountain  and  Gold  Coin  of  the  Green  Mountain  group 
(fig.  20),  and  the  Rural  New  Yorker  No.  2,  Carman  No.  3,  and 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh  of 
the  Rural  group  (fig. 

21).  Other  varieties 
grown  to  some  extent 
are  the  White  Star  of 
the  Burbank  group 
and  the  Early  Ohio. 


DATE  OF  PLANTING. 


The  dates  of  plant¬ 
ing  the  late  or  main- 
crop  varieties  in  the 
States  in  which  this 
crop  is  grown,  as  pre¬ 
sented  in  detail  in 
Table  V,  extend  from 
April  1  to  June  5. 

The  dates  specified 
in  the  table,  as  pre¬ 
viously  stated,  are  approximate  rather  than  actual;  but  it  is  believed 
that  the  bulk  of  this  crop  is  planted  between  the  dates  specified  for 
each  State. 


Fig.  13. — A  gasoline  tractor  which  is  employed  in  many  ways  on  the 
farm.  In  this  instance  it  is  being  used  very  successfully  to  operate 
the  elevator  potato  digger  in  a  field  near  Hastings,  Fla. 


SOIL. 


A  heavier  type  of  soil  may  be  utilized  in  growing  a  late  or  main 
crop  than  the  early  crop,  as  earliness  is  not  of  such  prime  importance. 
Heavy  clay  soils  and  poorly  drained  soils  should,  of  course,  be  avoided, 
but  northern  or  northwestern  exposures  are  not  objectionable. 

PREPARATION  OF  THE  SOIL. 

The  preparation  of  the  soil  does  not  differ  essentially  from  that 
required  for  the  early  crop  except  that  it  is  neve**  plowed  into  ridges 
or  beds;  hence,  the  suggestions  previously  given  regarding  fall  and 


28 


tarmers  Bulletin  izub. 


spring  plowing  and  also  the  preparation  of  the  seed  bed  apply  with 
equal  force  to  the  late  or  main  crop. 

FERTILIZERS. 

It  is  not  customary  to  use  commercial  fertilizers  in  as  large  amounts 
on  the  late  or  main  crop  as  on  the  early  crop,  nor  is  the  fertilizer  used 
as  high  in  its  content  of  nitrogen.  Itds  slightly  higher,  however,  in 
phosphoric  acid  and  potash.  The  usual  grade  of  fertilizer  used 
analyzes  2  per  cent  of  ammonia,  10  per  cent  of  phosphoric  acid,  and 
6  per  cent  of  potash  and  usually  is  applied  at  the  rate  of  600  to 
1,200  pounds  per  acre.  Farm  manures  have  the  same  relative  value 
and  use  for  the  late  as  for  the  early  crop. 


Fig.  14.— Grading,  sizing,  and  barreling  the  potato  crop  at  Hastings,  Fla. 

CULTURAL  DETAILS. 


The  treatment  of  the  seed,  cutting,  planting,  tillage,  and  spraying 
of  the  crop  are  practically  the  same  as  for  the  early  crop  except  that 
level  culture  is  practiced  in  some  of  the  potato-growing  areas. 

HARVESTING. 

As  a  rule,  the  late  crop  is  not  harvested  until  it  is  fully  mature, 
because  it  is  grown  for  fall  and  winter  consumption.  The  date  of 
digging  may  vary  from  the  middle  of  August  to  the  latter  part  of 
October,  depending  upon  locality,  prevailing  prices,  and  whether  it  is 
grown  for  commercial  purposes  or  for  home  consumption.  In  general, 
the  crop  is  handled  and  disposed  of  in  much  the  same  manner  as  the 
late  crop  in  the  Northern  States.  Strictly  speaking,  the  late  crop 
can  be  considered  as  important  only  in  Maryland,  West  Virginia,  and 
the  mountainous  sections  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina. 


Potato  Production  in  the  South. 


29 


THE  FALL  CROPS. 

The  fall  crops  of  potatoes  may  be  considered  under  two  rather  dis¬ 
tinct  heads,  viz,  (1)  the  fall  crop  proper,  consisting  of  late-maturing 
varieties  chiefly  grown  for  table  stock,  and  (2)  the  second  crop, 
consisting  of  early  varieties  planted  for  the  especial  purpose  of  grow¬ 
ing  seed  stock  for  the  early  crop  of  the  ensuing  year. 


Fig.  15.— A  barrel  of  potatoes  ready  to  be  covered. 
In  the  Atlantic  seaboard  States  north  of  Florida 
the  bulk  of  the  crop  is  marketed  in  barrels  with 
burlap  covers. 


Fig.  16. — A  barrel  of  potatoes  with  the  burlap 
cover  held  in  place  by  the  upper  hoop,  which 
should  be  securely  nailed. 


The  only  true  second-crop  production  m  the  Lnited  States  is 
found  in  Oklahoma,  Arkansas,  Texas,  and  other  Southern  States 
where  the  tubers  from  the  first  crop  are  used  in  planting  the  second 


Cr°P'  PLACE  OF  THE  FALL  CROPS  IN  THE  ROTATION. 

Except  in  Delaware  and  portions  of  Maryland  and  Virginia,  a 
considerable  part  of  the  fall  crop  is  planted  on  land  from  which  an 
early  crop  of  potatoes  has  just  been  harvested.  The  grower  nes  o 
avoid  preparing  a  new  seed  bed  by  planting  in  the  same  drill  rows 
from  which  the  early  crop  was  dug.  In  this  way  the  fall  crops 
feed  upon  any  unused  fertilizer  applied  to  the  hist  uop. 


LATE-MATURING  VARIETIES. 


The  leading  late-maturing  variety  grown  as  a  fall  crop  is  known 
under  several  different  names.  In  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  the 
Carolinas  it  is  generally  known  as  the  McCormick  or  the  Peachblow; 
in  Georgia  and  Tennessee  it  is  usually  called  Lookout  Mountain; 
while  in  some  other  localities  it  is  called  the  Hoosier.  Under  the 
priority  rule  in  nomenclature  this  variety  should  be  recognized  as 
the  McCormick,  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  was  originated  by  the  Rev. 
T.  B.  McCormick,  of  Princeton,  Ind.  The  name  Hoosier  comes  from 
its  having  been  produced  in  Indiana.  Ostensibly  the  only  claim  it 
has  to  the  name  Lookout  Mountain  is  that  the  variety  succeeds  well 
in  that  vicinity.  The  McCormick’s  popularity  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
it  is  unusually  resistant  to  heat  and  drought.  These  qualities 

enable  it  to  pass  through  a  hot 
and  dry  period  without  serious 
injury  and  to  make  a  satisfac¬ 
tory  crop  of  tubers  during  the 
cool  weather  of  autumn.  The 
McCormick  tubers  are  deep¬ 
eyed  (fig.  22)  and  generally  of 
poor  table  quality. 

Other  varieties  less  gener¬ 
ally  and  less  widely  grown  are 
the  Jersey  Red,  White  McCor¬ 
mick,  White  Star,  Peerless,  and 
varietal  members  of  the  Green 
Mountain,  Rural,  and  Russet 
Rural  groups. 

The  Jersey  Red  has  not 
been  definitely  identified,  but  it  is  thought  to  belong  to  the  Early 
Rose  group.  It  is  grown  as  a  late-maturing  variety  in  Delaware  and 
possibly  to  some  extent  in  certain  portions  of  Maryland.  It  is 
claimed  to  be  prolific  and  well  adapted  to  that  particular  region  as 
well  as  to  certain  parts  of  New  Jersey. 

The  White  McCormick  is  confined  very  largely,  if  not  entirely,  to 
Maryland  and  Virginia.  In  habit  of  growth,  in  character  of  stem, 
foliage,  and  flower,  and  in  resistance  to  heat  and  drought  it  is  the 
counterpart  of  the  McCormick.  As  its  name  indicates,  the  tubers  of 
the  White  McCormick  are  white  skinned.  Other  variations,  such  as 
fewer  and  shallower  eyes  and  the  absence  of  color  around  the  eyes, 
represent  the  outward  physical  variations  of  this  variety  as  compared 
with  the  McCormick.  In  table  quality  it  is  superior  to  the  McCormick 
and  should  supersede  this  variety  wherever  it  can  be  grown  with  equal 
success.  The  Russet  Rural  is  a  comparatively  new  variety  and  so  far 
as  known  is  only  grown  to  a  very  limited  extent  in  Virginia. 


Fig.  17.— The  sizer  or  grader  used  by  Texas  potato 

growers. 


ox 


The  White  Star  and  the  Peerless  varieties  are  grown  in  southern 

Louisiana  and  in  some  of  the  adjacent  States,  where  they  seem  to 
succeed  well.  ■ 


SECOND-CROP  VARIETIES. 

The  varieties  planted  for  second-crop  production  of  seed  intended 
lor  planting  the  early  crop  of  the  ensuing  late  winter  or  early  sprint 
are  the  Irish  Cobbler,  Triumph,  and  others  usually  grown  as  early-crop 

potatoes.  They  are  grown  in  the  same  portions  of  the  South  as  the 
early  crop  of  the  variety. 


PRODUCTION  CENTERS. 

The  fall-crop  production  centers  are  not  so  well  defined  for  the  late- 
maturing  varieties  produced  for  table  purposes  as  are  those  in  which 
a  second  crop  of  early-maturing  varieties  is  grown  for  seed  purposes. 


Fig.  18.— Hauling  potatoes  to  the  shipping  station  in  Virginia. 

Of  the  former  crop  probably  the  heaviest  producing  sections  are  in 
northern  Georgia,  certain  portions  of  Tennessee  and  North  Carolina, 
the  Norfolk  and  Eastern  Shore  of  Virginia  districts,  and  the  penin¬ 
sular  section  of  Delaware  and  Maryland. 

Second-crop  production  is  mainly  centered  around  Fort  Gibson, 
Okla.,  and  the  Fort  Smith  district  in  Arkansas  and  Oklahoma; 
Columbia,  Tenn.,  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  the  Eastern  Shore  of  Virginia 
and  Maryland.  The  Triumph  is  grown  in  the  first  three  localities,  and 
the  Irish  Cobbler  in  the  remainder. 


DATE  OF  PLANTING. 

The  date  of  planting  the  late-variety  crop  and  the  early-variety 
crop  is  approximately  the  same ;  hence,  one  set  of  dates  will  serve  for 
both.  These  dates  for  the  several  States,  as  presented  in  Table  A  , 
show  an  extreme  variation  of  approximately  three  and  one-half 
months,  or  from  June  20  in  Maryland  to  October  1  in  Florida. 


The  seed  used  in  planting  the  late-variety  crop  of  potatoes  in  the 
case  of  the  McCormick,  the  White  McCormick,  and  the  Jersey  Red 
varieties  is  locally  grown  stock  from  the  preceding  fall  crop.  This 
seed  stock  is  quite  largely  held  over  from  one  year  to  another  in 
ordinary  cellars  or  vegetable  houses.  Very  often  much  sprouting 
occurs,  and  in  general  the  practice  can  hardly  be  regarded  as  satis¬ 
factory.  Seed  dealers  as  a  rule  keep  the  seed  stock  in  cold  storage 
after  the  weather  becomes  warm.  This  keeps  it  firm  and  dormant  and 
in  much  better  condition  than  in  ordinary  storage. 

Seed  of  the  Green  Mountain,  Rural,  and  Russet  Rural  groups  and 
White  Star  and  Peerless  varieties  is  usually  grown  in  the  North  and 


Fig.  19. — Loading  potatoes  at  St.  Matthews,  Ky.  These  potatoes  are  intended  for  bulk  shipment.  The 
barrel  is  simply  used  as  a  convenient  container  in  which  to  haul  the  tubers. 


shipped  late  the  next  spring  to  points  in  the  South,  where  it  is  placed 
in  cold  storage  until  a  week  or  two  before  it  is  to  be  planted.  Then 
it  is  taken  out  and  allowed  to  warm  up  and  start  to  sprout  before  it  is 
cut  and  planted.  These  varieties  do  not  maintain  their  normal  vigor 
and  productiveness  if  locally  grown  seed  is  used  year  after  year.  The 
southern  grower  finds  it  more  profitable,  therefore,  to  buy  northern- 
grown  seed  each  year. 

In  the  case  of  the  second  crop,  it  has  been  found  desirable  and,  in 
fact,  necessary  in  some  sections  to  use  northern-grown  seed  of  the 
preceding  season  for  the  planting  of  the  second  crop  of  the  Irish 
Cobbler  variety.  On  the  other  hand,  it  has  been  found  possible  and 
desirable  in  the  Oklahoma  and  Arkansas  second-crop  areas  to  plant 
seed  twice  removed  from  the  North.  That  is,  northern-grown  seed 
from  Nebraska,  Minnesota,  or  Wisconsin  is  planted  for  the  early  crop; 


then  seed  from  the  early  crop  is  planted  for  the  second  crop.  The 
seed  produced  from  the  second  crop,  which  is  known  locally  as  ‘junior 
seed,”  is  considered  superior  to  northern-grown  seed  for  planting  the 
early  crop  of  the  ensuing  year.  If  this  operation  is  continued  another 
year  the  grower  has  what  is  known  as  “senior  seed,”  which  is  dis¬ 
tinctly  inferior  to  ‘junior  seed  and  not  quite  equal  as  a  rule  to  ,rood 
northern-grown  seed.  Thereafter  the  seed  stock  deteriorates  so 
rapidly  that  usually  it  is  not  considered  desirable  to  carry  locally 
grown  seed  beyond  the  junior  stage. 


Fig.  20. — A  typical  Green  Mountain  tuber. 

HANDLING  TRUCK-CROP  TUBERS  FOR  SECOND-CROP  SEED. 


Where  early  or  truck-crop  tubers  are  used  as  seed  for  the  second 
crop,  several  methods  of  handling  them  in  the  interim  between  the 
date  of  harvesting  the  tubers  of  the  early  crop  and  using  them  as  seed 
for  the  second  crop  have  come  into  practice.  The  potato  tuber  when 
newly  harvested  normally  requires  a  certain  rest  period  before  it  will 
begin  to  sprout,  and  the  different  methods  of  handling  the  seed  are 
a  direct  result  of  effort  on  the  part  of  the  grower  to  shorten  this  rest 
period  and  to  obtain  as  good  a  stand  as  possible  in  the  second  crop. 

The  Triumph  variety  responds  more  satisfactorily  than  the  Irish 
Cobbler  to  the  methods  employed  in  second-crop  production. 

The  following  six  cultural  practices  have  come  to  the  writer  s 
attention,  each  having  its  advocates: 


Practice  No.  1. — The  small  or  unsalable  potatoes,  really  the  culls, 
from  the  first  crop  are  immediately  planted  back  in  the  same  iurrows 
from  which  they  were  harvested  or  sometimes  in  some  previously 


prepared  piece  of  land.  This  practice  has  the  disadvantage  of  a  slow, 
imperfect  germination,  making  necessary  the  subduing  of  weed  growth 
on  the  land  during  the  time  between  planting  and  the  actual  appear¬ 
ance  of  the  plants  above  ground  or  else  allowing  the  land  to  become 
weedy  during  this  interim.  Unfortunately,  this  practice  has  a  good 
many  followers. 

Practice  No.  2. — This  course  differs  from  No.  1  only  in  that 
instead  of  planting  the  culls  immediately  where  they  are  to  grow,  a 
trench  is  opened  with  a  plow  by  throwing  out  one  or  two  furrows 
in  either  direction.  The  trench  thus  formed  is  filled  to  a  depth  of 
4  to  6  inches  with  the  seed  potatoes,  and  the  soil  is  thrown  back 


Fig.  21. — A  typical  tuber  of  the  Rural  New  Yorker  No.  2. 


over  them.  The  seed  is  left  in  this  condition  until  wanted  for  plant¬ 
ing,  generally  three  to  five  weeks,  when  the  trench  is  opened  and  the 
potatoes  sorted  over.  Only  those  which  show  sprouts  are  selected 
for  seed  purposes,  thus  insuring  quick  germination  and  a  good  stand 
of  plants.  The  success  of  this  practice  depends  very  largely  upon 
the  selection  of  a  well-drained  site  on  which  to  trench  the  seed  stock. 
Serious  losses  are  often  incurred  through  the  soil  around  the  tubers 
being  soaked  by  heavy  rains  and  the  potatoes  then  being  exposed 
to  a  high  temperature.  This  results  in  the  rapid  decay  of  the  tubers 
unless  they  are  removed  and  dried. 

Practice  No.  3. — This  differs  from  the  foregoing  practices  in  that 
the  tubers  intended  for  seed  are  spread  out  on  the  ground  in  some 
shaded  place,  as  under  a  house,  in  a  shed,  or  under  a  tree,  where  they 


Potato  Production  in  the  South.  35 

aro  exposed  to  light.  Under  these  conditions  the  skin  soon  becomes 
green  and  tough,  and  they  begin  to  show  signs  of  germination  in 
from  three  to  five  weeks.  As  in  the  preceding  case,  the  grower 
selects  those  tubers  that  have  begun  to  germinate. 

Practice  No.  4.— This  practice  differs  from  practice  No.  3  in  the 
following  respects.  The  tubers  are  covered  with  a  layer  of  straw, 
coarse  hay,  or  other  material  which  protects  them  from  the  light 
This  covering  in  some  cases  is  kept  more  or  less  moist  throughout 
the  period  in  which  they  are  thus  held  before  planting.  The  covering 
and  the  moisture  prevent  excessive  loss  of  water  by  the  tubers,  and 
it  is  claimed  that  a  quicker  germination  is  thereby  induced. 

Practice  No.  5.  So  far  as  known,  this  practice  originated  ahout 
1916.  It  consists  in  immediately  placing  the  seed  potatoes  from  the 
first  crop  in  cold  storage,  where  they 
are  kept  at  a  temperature  of  32°  to 
34°  F.  for  three  to  five  weeks,  after 
which  they  are  taken  out  and  allowed 
to  warm  up  for  a  week  or  two  be¬ 
fore  planting.  The  effect  of  the  low 
temperature  on  the  new  potato  is  to 
shorten  the  rest  period  and  thus 
hasten  germination.  It  is  evident 
that  this  method  is  practicable  only 
in  localities  where  there  is  a  cold- 
storage  plant. 

Practice  N o.  6. — This  practice  is,  to 
some  extent  at  least,  combined  with 
each  of  the  preceding  ones.  It  con¬ 
sists  in  clipping  off  the  seed  ends  or 
other  portions  of  the  skin  of  small 
tubers  intended  for  planting  whole. 

By  this  practice  it  is  claimed  that  ger¬ 
mination  is  induced  earlier  and  that  it  is  better  than  when  the  surface  of 
the  tuber  is  not  mutilated.  The  same  result  is  obtained  when  cut  seed 
is  planted.  The  actual  effect  of  removal  of  the  skin  or  of  cutting  the 
tuber  is  to  increase  the  loss  of  moisture,  which  seems  to  result  in  a 
greater  activity  of  the  life  processes  of  the  plant,  thereby  inducing 
an  earlier  germination. 

SUGGESTIONS  FOR  IMPROVEMENT  IN  PRESENT  PRACTICES. 

Good  seed  is  just  as  important  for  the  second  crop  as  for  the  first 
one.  The  present  practice  of  using  for  second-crop  seed  the  potatoes 
which  are  small  or  for  other  reasons  are  unsalable,  or,  in  other  words, 
the  planting  of  potato  “runts,”  is  not  to  be  commended.  Careful 
investigations  have  demonstrated  that  potatoes  below  1  ounce  in 


Fig.  22. — Typical  tuber  of  the  McCormick 
variety,  an  extremely  deep-eyed  strain,  to 
be  avoided. 


36 


Farmers  Bulletin  120d. 


weight  do  not  give  as  large  a  yield  as  those  weighing  from  2  to  4 
ounces,  even  though  the  latter  may  be  halved  or  quartered  and  the 
former  planted  whole.  When  it  is  remembered  that  the  small, 
unsalable  potatoes  from  the  early  crop  probably  do  not  average 
more  than  an  ounce  in  weight  and  that  a  great  many  are  under 
this  weight,  especially  where  the  early  crop  sold  at  a  high  price,  it 
can  be  readily  seen  that  the  resultant  crop  will  be  much  below  what 
it  ought  to  be. 

It  is  fully  believed  that  if  seed  potatoes  ranging  from  2  to  4  ounces 
in  weight  were  used  instead  of  the  very  small  ones,  as  is  now  the 
practice,  the  resultant  yields  would  be  increased  from  25  to  50  per 
cent  or  more.  The  2-ounce  tuber  could  be  cut  in  two,  the  3-ounce 
one  could  be  divided  into  three  pieces,  and  the  4-ounce  tuber  quar¬ 
tered,  if  desired,  thus  giving  a  1 -ounce  seed  piece.  Better  results 
from  the  standpoint  of  seed  production  would  follow  if  the  2-ounce 
tuber  were  planted  whole  except  for  the  removal  of  portions  of  the 
skin  to  hasten  germination,  and  the  3-ounce  cut  in  two. 

Practices  Nos.  3  and  4  are  probably  the  most  practical  and  the 
safest  from  the  standpoint  of  tuber  decay  if  the  weather  is  wet, 
provided  they  are  combined  with  practice  No.  6  in  all  cases  where 
germination  is  not  apparent. 

Better  preparation  of  the  seed  bed  before  planting  the  second 
crop  will  also  serve  to  increase  the  yield. 

DEPTH  OF  PLANTING. 

In  general,  it  is  advisable  to  plant  the  fall  crops  considerably 
deeper  than  the  early  crop,  on  account  of  high  soil  temperatures, 
which  are  unfavorable  to  tuber  development,  and  also  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  securing  better  moisture  conditions.  On  sandy  loam  soils 
the  seed  may  be  planted  from  5  to  6  inches  deep,  but  on  the  heavier 
types  4  to  5  inches  is  more  satisfactory. 

CULTURE  OF  THE  CROP. 

The  cultural  details  involved  in  the  production  of  a  fall  crop  of 
potatoes  are  practically  the  same  as  for  an  early  crop.  Good  tillage 
is  essential  to  a  good  crop. 

SPRAYING. 

In  some  localities  late-blight  has  been  known  to  cause  considerable 
damage  to  the  crop  if  the  autumn  weather  is  favorable  for  its  develop¬ 
ment;  hence,  in  these  regions  the  spraying  of  the  plants  with  Bordeaux 
mixture  should  not  be  neglected.  Insect  pests  are  probably  no  more 
troublesome  on  the  fall  than  on  the  spring  crop,  but  in  any  event 
they  should  not  be  allowed  to  cause  serious  injury  to  the  plants, 
and  the  right  insecticides  should  be  applied  at  the  proper  time. 


HARVESTING. 


The  fall  crops  do  not  as  a  rule  reach  full  maturity  before  being 
cut  down  by  frost.  This  gives,  in  the  case  of  the  second  crop,  the 
desired  immaturity  of  seed  stock,  but  it  is  not  so  desirable  when 
the  potatoes  are  grown  for  table  use. 

The  harvesting  period  of  the  fall  crops  extends  from  the  latter 
part  of  October  in  Delaware  and  Maryland  to  December  and  January 
in  Florida  and  other  extreme  southern  points.  Usually  the  crop 
on  the  Eastern  Shoie  of  \  lrgima  is  harvested  early  m  November, 
and  in  the  Norfolk  district  not  until  the  middle  of  that  month. 

YIELDS. 

The  yields  from  the  late-maturing  varieties  grown  for  table  pur¬ 
poses  are  extremely  variable.  In  a  good  growing  season  yields  of 
50  to  60  barrels  or  more  per  acre  are  not  uncommon,  but  in  less 
favorable  ones  10  to  30  barrels  may  represent  the  total  crop. 

The  same  relative  variation  occurs  in  the  second  crop,  but  the 
yields  are  rarely  as  good.  They  vary  from  almost  nothing  in  ex¬ 
tremely  unfavorable  years  to  40  or  50  barrels  in  exceptionally  good 
seasons.  Generally  speaking,  the  fall  crops  are  more  uncertain  than 
the  early  and  the  late  or  main  crops  because  of  the  greater  possibility 
of  unseasonable  conditions  influencing  the  yield. 

MARKETING  THE  FALL  CROPS. 

The  fall  crops,  unlike  the  early  crop,  are  usually  put  into  storage 
when  dug,  to  await  a  more  favorable  market. 

As  a  rule,  the  second  crop  when  well  grown  is  considered  by  many 
growers  rather  more  desirable  for  seed  purposes  than  northern-grown 
seed,  even  though  it  does  not,  as  has  been  previously  mentioned, 
reach  market  maturity  quite  so  early.  Its  use  in  the  localities  in 
which  it  is  grown  also  saves  the  transportation  charges  involved  in 
the  purchase  of  northern  seed. 

STORAGE. 

Southern  potato  storage  houses  as  a  rule  are  inferior  to  those  found  in 
the  North.  They  usually  consist  of  cheap  u  dugout  ’  structures,  partly 
belowground,  in  which  the  crop  can  be  stored  in  a  fairly  satisfactory 
manner  during  the  winter  months  of  December,  January,  and  a  por¬ 
tion  of  February,  provided  proper  attention  is  given  to  opening  doors, 
windows,  or  ventilators  on  cool  nights  and  closing  them  in  the  early 
morning.  Generally  speaking,  however,  these  storage  houses  are 
insufficiently  ventilated  and  are  more  or  less  unsanitary.  It  is 
believed  that  better  storage  houses  for  the  potato  are  among  the 
pressing  needs  of  the  potato  industry  in  the  South.  It  is  econom- 


38 


Farmers’  Bulletin  1205 . 


ically  unsound  from  a  business  standpoint  for  the  potato-consuming 
public  of  the  South  to  be  dependent  upon  the  North  for  its  table 
supply  of  potatoes  during  a  considerable  portion  of  the  year.  With 
proper  storage  facilities  it  should  be  possible  for  the  people  of  the 
South  to  make  themselves  almost  entirely  independent  of  the  northern 
crop  for  table  use,  thus  'effecting  a  vast  saving  in  transportation 
charges  and  commissions. 

SUMMARY. 

The  value  of  the  early  potato  crop  in  the  South,  because  of  its 
higher  selling  price,  is  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  number  of 
bushels. 

The  wide  variation  in  the  percentage  of  early-crop  potatoes  grown 
in  the  16  Southern  States  is  closely  associated  with  the  position  of  the 
States  with  respect  to  latitude  and  the  lay  of  the  land  with  respect 
to  altitude.  Latitude  and  altitude  are  important  determining  factors. 

The  fluctuations  in  the  acreage  planted  in  1917  as  compared  with 
that  of  1916  were  due  to  the  short  late  or  main  crop  in  1916. 

The  potato  industry  of  the  South  may  be  divided  into  three  dis¬ 
tinct  branches  or  phases  of  production,  viz,  (1)  the  early  or  truck 
crop,  (2)  the  late  or  main  crop,  and  (3)  the  fall  crops. 

The  early  crop  is  planted  as  early  as  the  season  and  soil  will  permit, 
with  the  idea  of  harvesting  it  as  soon  as  the  tubers  have  reached  a 
marketable  size.  The  leading  early  varieties  are  the  Irish  Cobbler, 
Triumph,  and  Spaulding  No.  4. 

The  late  or  main  crop  is  very  largely  grown  in  the  northern  tier  of 
Southern  States  and  in  the  more  elevated  parts  of  the  more  southern 
of  those  States.  The  crop  is  generally  planted  about  as  early  as  the 
season  will  permit  and  is  allowed  to  mature  before  it  is  harvested. 
The  Green  Mountain  and  Rural  varieties  are  grown  most  extensively 
for  this  purpose. 

The  fall  crops  of  potatoes  should  be  considered  under  two  rather 
distinct  heads,  viz,  the  fall  crop  proper  and  the  second  crop.  The 
fall  crop  proper  consists  of  late-maturing  varieties  that  are  chiefly 
grown  for  table  use.  The  second  crop  consists  of  early  varieties 
planted  late  for  the  purpose  of  providing  seed  stock  for  planting  the 
early  crop  of  the  ensuing  year. 

Crop  rotation  in  the  South  is  of  a  very  varied  character,  and  there 
does  not  appear  to  be  any  well-defined  system  in  vogue  in  any 
commercial  potato-producing  district. 

The  chief  point  of  interest  in  connection  with  the  early  varieties 
grown  is  that  they  are  comparatively  few  in  number  and  these  few 
are  rather  definitely  confined  to  certain  areas;  for  example,  Spaulding 
No.  4  in  the  Hastings  district  in  Florida. 


There  is  a  much  wider  range  in  cultural  practices  in  the  growing 
of  potatoes  in  the  South  than  in  the  North.  This  is  due  in  part  to 
the  production  of  early,  late,  and  fall  crops  of  potatoes  and  to  the 
character  of  the  soil  and  climate. 

The  crop  is  harvested  by  hand,  plowed  out,  or  removed  with  an 
elevator  digger.  The  last  method  is  gradually  superseding  the 
others. 

Hand  or  power-driven  graders  or  sizers  are  used  generally  in  some 
sections,  while  in  others  the  grading  is  largely,  if  not  wholly,  done  by 
the  pickers. 

The  almost  universal  use  of  the  barrel  as  a  container  for  the  crop  of 
the  Atlantic  Seaboard  States  and  its  nonuse  in  the  South  Central  and 
Southwestern  States,  where  the  sack  is  the  accepted  container,  are 
striking  examples  of  local  practices. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  IT.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


Secretary  of  Agriculture _ Henry  C.  Wallace. 

Assistant  Secretary _ _ C.  W.  Pugsley. 

Director  of  Scientific  Work _ E.  D.  Ball. 

Director  of  Regulatory  Work _ 

Weather  Bureau - Charles  F.  Marvin,  Chief. 

Bureau  of  Agricultural  Economics _ Henry  C.  Taylor,  Chief. 

Bureau  of  Animal  Industry _ John  R.  Mohler,  Chief. 

Bureau  of  Plant  Industry _ William  A.  Taylor,  Chief. 

Forest  Service - - - W.  B.  Greeley,  Chief. 

Bureau  of  Chemistry _ Walter  G.  Campbell,  Acting  C  ' 

Bureau  of  Soils - Milton  Whitney,  Chief. 

Bureau  of  Entomology _  L.  O.  Howard,  Chief. 

Bureau  of  Biological  Survey _ E.  W.  Nelson,  Chief. 

Bureau  of  Public  Roads _ Thomas  H.  MacDonald,  Chief. 

Fixed  Nitrogen  Research  Laboratory _ F.  G.  Cottrell,  Director. 

Division  of  Accounts  and  Disbursements _ A.  Zappone,  Chief. 

Division  of  Publications _ _ - _ _  John  L.  Cobbs,  Jr.,  Chief. 

Library _ _ Claribel  R.  Barnett,  Librarian. 

States  Relations  Service _ A.  C.  True,  Director. 

Federal  Horticultural  Board _ C.  L.  Marlatt,  Chairman. 

Insecticide  and  Fungicide  Board _ J.  K.  Haywood,  Chairman. 

Packers  and  Stockyards  Administration _ 1  Chester  Morrill,  Assistant  to  the\ 

Grain  Future  Trading  Act  Administration _ J  Secretary, 

Office  of  the  Solicitor _ _ _ R.  W.  Williams,  Solicitor. 

*  a  ;  »'•  . 

This  bulletin  is  a  contribution  from — 

Bureau  of  Plant  Industry _ _ William  A.  Taylor,  Chief. 

Office  of  Horticultural  and  Pomological 

Investigations _ _ _ L.  C.  Corbett,  in  Charge. 

40 


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